Method for billing IP broadband subscribers

ABSTRACT

A method of billing a variable bit rate communication between a first terminal and a distant terminal to a broadband subscriber permits changing billing parameters during a call in real time in response to user inputs including user requested changes in quality of service, changes in data rate and changes in preferred service provider. A variable bit rate communication to be billed has a variable quality of service related to the degree of utilization of a plurality of different networks. The billing method comprises the steps of i.) receiving user identification data at a first terminal and data representing a required bit rate and a default quality of service selected by the user, ii.) verifying the user identification data to be associated with the broadband service subscriber, iii.) determining least cost alternative network resources available for achieving the communication at the user selected default quality of service and the required bit rate, iv.) determining cost data associated with the network resources, v.) outputting to the user a least cost for the communication according to their selected default quality of service and alternative least cost network resources, vi.) coupling the first terminal and the distant terminal via the least cost determined network resources at the default quality of service and the required bit rate responsive to user authorization and vii.) billing for the communication at the default quality of service and according to the required bit rate after the termination of the communication.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/475,797filed Dec. 30, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,775,267.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods for billing for Internetbroadband communications between or among users, and more particularly,to providing multi-network access and least cost routing among abroadband Internet Protocol Telephony Network (IPTN) and a publicswitched telephone network among other network alternatives.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Present day telephony voice networks have a network built around circuitswitches, end offices, a toll network, tandem switches, and twisted pairwires (where the twisted pair wire couples the end office and customerpremises equipment. These voice networks are referred to as a publicswitched telephone network (PSTN) and their services referred to asplain old telephone service (POTS). Due to bandwidth limitations ofplain old telephone service (POTS), there is an inherent inability toefficiently integrate multiple types of media such as telephony, datacommunication for personal computers (PC), and television (TV)broadcasts. Accordingly, a new broadband architecture is required. Thisnew architecture gives rise to a new array of user services.

Presently, least cost routing services may be provided for POTS servicesby locating a least cost route for a given circuit switched call betweena caller and a called party, especially in a business setting have bothprivate line and switched circuit connection opportunities. For example,private branch exchange systems automatically select a least cost routefor a typical voiceband call. A leased private line, for example, a T1carrier link comprising twenty-four separate channels may be utilized inpreference to reliance upon the public switched network to take fulladvantage of the leased facilities. On the other hand, in an InternetProtocol Telephony Network (IPTN), voice telephony services are offeredat no cost to the user but quality of service in comparison to PSTNcalls suffers. A decrease in quality of service may be experienced bythe caller or called party due to high traffic conditions or limitationsin connecting facilities as increased delay or voice quality due to lostpackets. Lost packets generally appears to the user as a degradation insignal-to-noise ratio. On the other hand, the Internet promisesmultimedia communication opportunities including but not limited tovideo teleconferencing, high resolution imagery transmission and highfidelity digital sound.

Notwithstanding the promise of the Internet, the tendency to date inexistent voice over IP (VoIP) telecommunication billing systems is toemulate existent telephony billing arrangements. For example,International Publication No. WO 98/19448 published 7 May, 1998, byEricsson of Sweden discloses a method of billing an Internet call in aconventional manner by doing an IP address assignment at a POP and byaccompanying an A-number (calling party number) with a personal passwordor PIN that are collected at call placement. The call is billedaccording to the called telephone number, their location in reference tothe calling party and the duration of the call.

Consequently, there exists a great opportunity to provide new methodsand procedures for billing IP broadband subscribers for such multi-mediacommunications and to further provide least cost routing as a functionof quality of service in the new millennium.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the invention include providing broadband access capabilitiesor enhanced services for use in conjunction with a packetized networksuch as an Internet Protocol (IP) based system infrastructure.

Other aspects of the invention include providing one or more of thefollowing either individually, or in any combination or subcombination:

a new broadband architecture;

broadband network capabilities, including local access;

enhanced multi-media services for use in conjunction with a packetizednetwork such as an Internet Protocol (IP) based system infrastructure;

utilizing a SIM card to validate a user associated with a subscriber oroff-premises location;

providing users with choices of networks including the PSTN, an IPTN, awireless or other available networks, locally displaying or providingalternative network selection means for any such choices to a user andactuating such changes as a function of quality of service; and

providing real-time selection and billing choices to the subscriber as afunction of network path selection and quality of service includingproviding a network path display of alternative network paths inpriority order by quality of service or by cost of connection.

According to the present invention, a method of billing a variable bitrate communication between a first terminal and a distant terminal to abroadband subscriber at the first terminal, the variable bit ratecommunication having a variable quality of service related to the degreeof utilization of a plurality of different networks, comprises the stepsof: i.) receiving user identification data at the first terminal anddata representing a required bit rate and a default quality of serviceselected by the user, ii.) verifying the user identification data to beassociated with a broadband subscriber, iii.) determining least costalternative network resources available for achieving the communicationat the default quality of service and the required bit rate, iv.)determining cost data associated with the network resources, v.)outputting to the user a least cost for the communication according tothe default quality of service and the least cost alternative networkresources, vi.) coupling the first terminal and the distant terminal viathe least cost determined network resources and the default quality ofservice at the required bit rate responsive to user authorization andvii.) billing for the communication at the default quality of serviceand according to the required bit rate after the termination of thecommunication.

Although the invention has been defined using the appended claims, theseclaims are exemplary and limiting to the extent that the invention ismeant to include one or more elements from the apparatus and methodsdescribed herein and in the applications incorporated by reference inany combination or subcombination. Accordingly, there is any number ofalternative combinations for defining the invention, which incorporateone or more elements from the specification (including the drawings,claims, and applications incorporated by reference) in any combinationsor subcombinations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a broadband network (forexample, broadband IP based network) in accordance with a preferredembodiment of aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a centralizedcontrol (IP central station) in accordance with aspects of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a localcontrol apparatus (broadband residential gateway) in accordance withaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a detailed schematic representation of an exemplaryembodiment of the broadband network shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a typical on-network tooff-network call according to one preferred method of operating thebroadband network shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a typical on-network toon-network call according to one preferred method of operating thebroadband network shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a collection of screen portions which may comprise screensdisplayed on displays to users of the present invention such as call setup screens, call progress screens and alternative call routing screens;FIG. 7( a) is a representative screen portion whereby a user may selectand/or the screen portion may display a quality of service; FIG. 7( b)is a representative screen portion whereby a user may select and/or thescreen portion may display a data rate; FIG. 7( c) is a representativescreen portion whereby a user may select and/or the screen portion maydisplay a preferred service provider for a segment of a communication.

FIG. 8 is one embodiment of a screen or a screen portion for displayingactual and alternative routes for a given communication to a firstcalled party; for a second or more called party(s), for example, in aconference call, there may be associated screens and/or screen portionsfor the other called parties.

FIG. 9 is a collection of screen portions which may comprise screens forcall progress data display and data entry; FIG. 9( a) is arepresentative screen portion for entry and display of desired andactual quality of service; FIG. 9( b) is a representative screen portionfor entry and display of desired and actual cost including communicationset-up cost, accumulated cost and present cost per unit time; FIG. 9( c)is a representative screen portion for entry and display of required andactual data rate (bit rate).

FIG. 10 is an example of one embodiment of one call set-up screenwhereby a call manager may report to a broadband gateway at a userlocation on the characteristics of a called party configurationincluding their location, terminal resources and network resources.

FIG. 11 is an example of an application of an optimized communicationrouting algorithm for use in providing real-time routing and re-routingduring a communication in accordance with changing data rate or qualityof service requirements for different called parties.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A new system is provided for broadband multimedia access and billingapplications providing a least cost routing for a communication inaccordance with the user's selection of data rate and quality ofservice, among other user selections. Unless otherwise indicated by theappended claims, the present invention is not limited to the preferredembodiments described in this section but is applicable to otherintegrated multimedia communication systems.

I. Integrated Communication System Overview

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of a broadband network 1.The broadband network generally provides interconnection between aplurality of customer locations utilizing various interconnectionarchitectures including an Internet Protocol (IP) based network, variousexisting systems (legacy systems) such as the public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN), ATM networks, the Internet, signaling networks, as wellas other systems. The broadband network provides versatile intelligentconduits that may carry, for example, Internet Protocol (IP) telephonyor multimedia signals between the customer premises over, for example,the public switched telephone network, Internet, or wirelesscommunication networks. All networks shown in FIG. 1 may be generallycategorized as either circuit-switched networks or packet-switched orpacket-based networks. Circuit-switched networks generally involve thecreation of an end-to-end facility that is dedicated to a givencommunication for its duration while packet-switched networks sharecommon facilities; (a data packet is addressed and can follow aplurality of paths to an addressed far end terminal).

Again referring to FIG. 1, the broadband network 1 may include one ormore customer premises equipment (CPE) units 102. The customer premiseequipment 102 may be variously configured. In one example, the customerpremise equipment 102 may include one or more local control devices suchas a broadband residential gateway (BRG) 300. Although the broadbandresidential gateway is preferably disposed in a residence for manyaspects of the invention, in exemplary embodiments, it may also bedisposed in a business, government or other location. The broadbandresidential gateway 300 may be variously configured to provide one ormore integrated communication interfaces to other devices within thecustomer premise equipment 102 such as televisions (TV), personalcomputers (PC), plain old telephone system (POTS) phone(s), videophones, IP enabled phones, and other devices. For example, the broadbandresidential gateway 300 may provide one or more telephone portconnections (for example, plain old telephone system), Ethernetconnections, coaxial connections, fiber distributed data interface(FDDI) connections, wireless local area network (LAN) connections,firewire connections, and/or other connections to a plurality of devicessuch as plain old telephones, IP based phones, television converters,for example, cable television (CATV) set top devices, televisions,digital televisions, high definition televisions (HDTV), video phones,and other devices. In exemplary embodiments, the broadband residentialgateway 300 may support communications between any of the aforementioneddevices in intra-premises calling and/or extra-premises calling. The BRG300 takes an inventory of addresses of all connected apparatus and mayreport terminal capabilities to a call manager of an IP Central Station200 (FIG. 2), as will be further discussed herein, to enable multimediacapabilities compatible with called party multimedia capabilities.Further, when the broadband residential gateway 300 is used in abusiness or government environment, it can function as a private branchexchange or key type telephone system.

In FIG. 1, broadband residential gateway 300 is illustrated as a singlephysical device. This configuration is appropriate where centralizationof maintenance and control is desirable. Alternatively, the broadbandresidential gateway 300 may be separated into more than one physicaldevice allowing functionality to be distributed to a plurality ofdifferent physical locations in the customer premise and/or broadbandnetwork 1. However, in many embodiments, having a centralized broadbandresidential gateway 300 located in a single location provides ease ofmaintenance, control, and re-configuration as well as a reduction incost due to shared functionality. For example, the broadband residentialgateway may be configured to provide the intelligence needed to alloweach of the customer premises equipment devices to operate within thebroadband network 1. For example, analog voice may be converted todigital data and packetized for transmission in an appropriate outputprotocol such as an Internet protocol (IP).

In exemplary embodiments, the broadband residential gateway 300 mayfunction to couple devices within the customer premise equipment 102 tothe rest of the broadband network 1 using any suitable broadbandcommunication mechanism. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, thebroadband residential gateway 300 utilizes a hybrid fiber-coaxial plant112 to couple the broadband residential gateway 300 to the rest of thebroadband network 1. The hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112 may be preferredin many embodiments over other broadband communication mechanismsbecause of the large number of homes currently connected to cablenetworks, the capacity for shared access, and the ability for asymmetricdata access speeds which allow high quantities of data to be distributedto the various devices in the customer premises equipment 112. Thehybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112 may include coaxial cable and/or opticalfiber networks in any suitable combination. The hybrid fiber-coaxialplant 112 may provide an intelligent broadband conduit between thebroadband residential gateway 300 and a gateway such as the head-end hub(HEH) 115. The head-end hub 115 may be variously configured to providevarious services and/or interconnections with the rest of the broadbandnetwork 1. For example, the head-end hub 115 may provide aninterconnection point to gather and aggregate external services (forexample, off air and satellite video, public switched telephone networkvoice, multimedia messages, and Internet data) for distribution to andfrom the hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112. With respect to telephony andmultimedia calls. the head-end hub 115 may function as intelligentconduit for connection and communication between the hybridfiber-coaxial plant 112 and external networks such as an IP network 120and/or an ATM/frame relay/cell relay network 185.

The broadband network 1 may include any number of interconnectedhead-end hubs 115, IP networks 120, and/or ATM networks 185. Further,the IP network 120 and/or ATM network 185 may be connected to one ormore other networks and devices such as:

-   -   (1) external networks including a public switched telephone        network (PSTN) 170, an signaling system 7 (SS7) network 170, an        Internet 180, and/or a wireless network 144;    -   (2) various components including one or more private branch        exchanges 146, terminals 142 including computers and wireless        devices, and/or one or more stand alone broadband residential        gateway 300;    -   (3) one or more administration centers 155;    -   (4) one or more secure network management data networks 190 such        as a network operations center (NOC);    -   (5) one or more billing systems 195 such as OSS; and/or    -   (6) one or more centralized control centers such as what is        referred to as an IP central station 200.

The IP network 120 and/or ATM network 185 (examples of packet-switchednetworks) may include one or more routers and/or other devices to route,for example, telephony calls, multimedia calls, signaling messages,administrative messages, programming messages and/or computer databetween the various devices in the broadband network 1 such as thehead-end hub 115, the public switched telephone network 160, the privatebranch exchange (PBX) 146, as well as the other devices discussed above.In preferred embodiments, the information traveling in the IP network120 may be packetized and formatted in accordance with one of theInternet protocols. The IP network 120 may also include gateways tointerface with the various other networks and/or devices. For example,the gateways may be distributed at the edge of the IP network where theIP network interfaces with one of the other devices or networks.Alternatively, the gateways interfacing the IP central station 200 to,for example, the Internet 180, public switched telephone network (PSTN)160, signaling system 7 (SS7) 170, wireless networks 144, ATM/frame/cellrelay networks 185 may be provided in the IP central station 200, or inboth the IP network 120 and the IP central station 200, and/or partiallydistributed between the IP network 120 and the IP central station 200.Where the gateways are separated by an IP network 200, an appropriatetransport protocol may be utilized to logically connect the IP centralstation 200 to the particular gateway.

The IP central station(s) 200 may be connected to, for example, one ormore IP networks 120, ATM networks 185, secure management data networks190, and/or administration centers 155. The IP central station 200 maybe variously configured to include one or more servers and/or one ormore gateways. In exemplary embodiments, the servers and gatewaysprovide the necessary intelligence and traffic management capabilitiesto enable information, for example, IP telephony signals, to travelthrough the broadband network 1. For example, the IP central station 200may be configured to manage voice information transfer from the publicswitched telephone network 160, through the IP network 120, and into andout of one or more devices such as those connected to a broadbandresidential gateway 300. The IP central station may be configured tostore various control and system information such as location, address,and/or configurations of one or more broadband residential gateways 300,as well as other routing and call set-up information.

In exemplary embodiments, one or more administration centers 155 may beconnected to the IP network 120 and provide billing and local directorynumber portability administration. The local number portability may behandled by one or more Local Service Management System (LSMS) which maybe included in the administration center 155 and/or in the IP centralstation 200. Further, the Secure Management Data Network 190 may alsoinclude a mechanism for transferring various information such asbilling, call tracking, and/or customer service provisioning. Variousexisting systems may be utilized to provide this information such asexisting billing systems (OSS) 195 and/or one or more network operationscenter (NOC). The network operations centers may be included in theadministration center 155, the IP central station 200, and/or thebilling system 195. The network operations center (NOC) may be variouslyconfigured to include a translation server to allow communications withthe various disparate entities (for example, legacy systems) in thebroadband network 1.

The IP network 120 and/or the ATM network 185 illustrated in FIG. 1 mayinclude one or a plurality of sub-networks. Each of the sub-networks mayinclude its own IP central station 200 in a distributed configuration,with certain routing data replicated across all IP central stations oreach sub-network may be connected to a single centralized IP centralstation 200. Where the IP network 120 includes one or more sub-networks,each sub-network may be connected to multiple head-end hubs 115.Further, each head-end hub 115 may be connected to multiple hybridfiber-coaxial plants 112, and each hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112 may beconnected to multiple pieces of customer premises equipment 102 and/orbroadband residential gateways 300. The IP network 120 provides aninterconnected broadband network which may be utilized to transport androute packetized information to and from diverse geographic locationsand may be used on a national or international basis. Further, the IPnetwork 120 and/or ATM network 185 may utilize private networkfacilities and/or may be provisioned over a shared network such as theInternet.

The IP central station 200 may be configured to provide connectivity forthe broadband residential gateway 300 to the Internet 180 (for example,World Wide Web (www)), as well as connectivity to other externalnetworks such as public switched telephone network 160 and signalingsystem 7 (SS7) 170 for end-to-end voice, multimedia, and dataapplications, for example voice over IP telephony. IP packets travelingthrough the IP network provide for priority so that, for example, voicepackets may be typically given priority over data packets to maintaincertain VoIP telephony QoS requirements. On the other hand, a leasedline concept for packet traffic may have an even higher priority than avoice communication. According to the principle of the presentinvention, a user may change quality of service and their required bitrate and, hence, the priority of the communication in real time inresponse to user input. Thus, the system is sufficiently flexible sothat the priority of a given communication can be dynamically alteredaccording to customer preferences, variable billing rates and tariffs,the user's bit rate requirements, the user's desired quality of service,traffic patterns, and/or congestion.

A. Internet Protocol Central Station

Referring to FIG. 2, the IP central station 200 may be variouslyconfigured. In preferred embodiments, it may be configured to ensureseamless integration of packet based communication system including theIP network 120 with the public switched telephone network 160, signalingsystem 7 (SS7) network 170, and the Internet 180 so that packetizeddata, for example, voice calls and information data, is properlytransferred between the broadband residential gateway 300, the publicswitched telephone network 160 and/or the Internet 180. In oneembodiment, the hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112, head-end hub 115, and IPnetwork 120, provide a virtual signaling conduit for packetized voiceand data which may, with the coordination of the IP central station 200,be provided in the appropriate format between the broadband residentialgateway 300 and the public switched telephone network 160 and/orInternet 180.

Again referring now to FIG. 2, the IP central station 200 may include acentral router 200, for example, a gigabit switch, which may be utilizedto interconnect various servers and gateways contained in the IP centralstation 200. The central router 210 provides for example Ethernetswitching and aggregate traffic between servers, gateways and the IPnetwork 120 and/or ATM network 185 backbone. In one exemplaryembodiment, the central router 210 provides high-speed, non-blocking IPand IP multicast Layer 3 switching and routing. The IP central station200 may include one or more of the following servers: the least costserver (LCS) 255, the time of day (TOD) server 212, the dynamic hostcontrol protocol (DHCP) server, the trivial file transfer protocol(TFTP) server, and the domain name service (DNS) server 214, the systemmanagement (SM) server 216, the call manager (CM) server 218, theannouncement server (AS) 220, the multimedia server (MS) 222, and/or theconference server (CS) 224. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the servers may beseparate servers, for example the call manager server 218, or may beincorporated into a single server. In the exemplary embodiment, thedynamic host control protocol server 131, trivial file transfer protocolserver server 132, and the domain name service server 214 are eachincorporated in a single server facility. Each server in the IP centralstation 200 may include computer(s), storage device(s), and specializedsoftware for implementing particular predefined functions associatedwith each server. In this manner, the servers in the IP central stationmay be provisioned as a main server and one or more back-up servers toprovide redundant processing capabilities. Similarly, the router may beimplemented as a main router and a back-up router with similar routingfunctionality.

The IP central station 200 may also include, for example, one or more ofthe following gateways: an element management gateway (EMG) 238, anaccounting gateway (AG) 240, an Internet (Boarder) gateway (IG) 236, asignaling system 7 (SS7)) gateway (SG) 234, a voice gateway (VG) 232,and/or a multimedia gateway (MG) 230. The IP central station 200 mayutilize one or more of these gateways to provide centralized systemintelligence and control of voice and/or data IP packets.

In exemplary embodiments, the dynamic host control protocol server anddomain name service server 214 may operate to dynamically assign IPaddresses to devices in the customer premise equipment 102. Where adynamic IP assignment scheme is used, the customer premises equipmentmay be provided with one or a plurality of dynamic IP assignment whenactivated initially, and/or at the initiation of each active session.Where an IP address is assigned when the device is initially activated,it may be desirable to assign a single IP address to a single broadbandresidential gateway and assign a port address to devices connected tothe broadband residential gateway 300. In other embodiments, anindividual IP address may be assigned to each device coupled to thebroadband residential gateway 300. For example, the broadbandresidential gateway may include and/or be coupled to one or more cablemodems, IP phones, plain old telephone system phones, computers,wireless devices, CATV converters, video phones, and/or other deviceswhich each may be assigned a unique static and/or dynamic IP addressand/or a port of a one of these IP addresses. Each of these differentterminal devices may have different capabilities for differentmulti-media services: the telephone is limited to voice telephony whilea fully equipped personal computer (including a video camera andmicrophone) has full multimedia broadband capabilities. As will bediscussed further herein, the user may request a communication thatcannot be accomplished by the terminal configuration and the BRG mayprovide an appropriate error message suggesting the user move to anotherterminal and/or seek to obtain missing software.

The particular protocol for allocating IP addresses and/or ports may bespecified using protocols defined in the dynamic host control protocolserver 214. In exemplary embodiments, the dynamic host control protocoland DN server 214 may be configured to assign available IP addressesfrom address pools based, for example, on the identity or type ofrequesting device, the amount of use expected for the requesting device,and/or predefined assignment protocols defined in the dynamic hostcontrol protocol and DN server 214. The identifiers provided for givenequipment and temporarily stored at a broadband residential gateway canbe translated to provide capabilities for, for example, for highfidelity audio reception and transmission, high definition televisionreception or transmission and the like at a given user location within aresidence, business or government location and thus reported to an IPcentral station 200 at call set-up. In centralized embodiments, it maybe desirable to configure the call manager (CM) 218 to providesufficient information such that the domain name service server 214 candistinguish between static IP devices, dynamic IP devices, registereddevices, unregistered devices, and registered devices that have beenassigned to a particular class of service for example, data vs.telephony, un-provisioned, vs. provisioned, etc.

The trivial file transfer protocol (TFTP) server 214 may be configuredto transfer certain information to/from one or more broadbandresidential gateways 300. In exemplary embodiments, the trivial filetransfer protocol server provides Data Over Cable Service InterfaceSpecifications (DOCSIS) configuration information containing QoSparameters, terminal configuration and other information required forthe broadband residential gateway 300 to operate optimally.

The time-of-day (TOD) server 212 may include a suitable facility formaintaining a real time clock such as an RFC868-compliant time server.In exemplary embodiments, the time-of-day server 212 provides systemmessages and/or responses to system inquiries containing a coordinatedtime, for example, universal coordinated time (UCT). The universalcoordinated time may be used by any of the servers and/or devices in thebroadband network 1. For example, the broadband residential gateway 300may use the universal coordinated time to calculate the local time fortime-stamping of communication processing, files and logs, includingerror logs.

The system management (SM) server 216 may include responsibility for theoverall operational state and functioning of components the broadbandnetwork 1, either alone, or in combination with other system managementservers 216. The system management (SM) server 216 may be variouslyconfigured to provide monitoring and administrative functions fordevices within the broadband network 1. For example, the systemmanagement server 216 may be configured to provide management of variousdatabase functions, memory buffer functions, and software utilityfunctions within the broadband network 1. Software management includes,for example, version control, generic control, and/or module control.

The least cost server (LCS) 255 may be variously configured to enablethe system to determine alternative routes available for a communicationand the least cost routing of telephone and data transmission throughoutthe network. In accordance with the present invention and as furtherdiscussed herein, the least cost server 255 may also provide one or morebroadband residential gateway users the capability to select among, forexample, service provider, data rate, cost and Quality of Service (QoS)as well as add or delete parties to/from a communication. The least costserver 255 coordinates with the TFTP server 214 to obtain remoteterminal configuration data as necessary.

The announcement service (AS) server 220 may be variously configured. Inexemplary embodiments, it may store and send announcements to specifieddestinations and/or all destinations based on instructions received by,for example, the call manager (CM) server 218. The announcement server220 receives, for example, Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) orlater signaling (for example, H.GCP—an ITU standard Gateway ControlProtocol) control messages from the call manager 218, and sendsannouncements to one or more voice gateways (VG) 232 and/or the one ormore broadband residential gateway 300 (for example, using Real TimeProtocol (RTP) packets). The announcement server 220 may send anannouncement once, a predetermined number of times, or in a continuousloop. The announcement server 220 may detect when a phone or otherdevice has been taken off-hook and play an advertisement or otherannouncement to the user. Where a user has signed-up for an advertisingplan whereby phone rates are reduced in return for advertising revenuegenerated by the advertisements, the announcement server 220 may beutilized to track the number of individuals with a particular income,age, or other profile which hear the advertisement. The announcementserver 220 may respond to requests from individual system devices suchas one of the broadband residential gateways 300 and/or under controlof, for example, the call manager 218. Where the announcement server isunder control of the call manager 218, the call manager may beconfigured to control various operating parameters of the announcementserver. For example, the call manager 218 may request that certainannouncements are sent once, a specified number of times, or in acontinuous loop.

In still further embodiments, announcements may be generated elsewherein the broadband network 1, stored as files, and distributed to one ormore announcement servers via a file transfer protocol or resource suchas the trivial file server 214 using one or more file transferprotocols. In many embodiments, it is desirable to store announcementsin an appropriate encoding format (for example, G.711 or G.729) withinthe Announcement Server. The announcement may have an audio componentand/or a audio/video component. The audio/video component may be storedusing a combination of an encoding format (for example, G.711) and/or astandard file format such as wave (WAV), MPEG, and other suitableformats.

In one exemplary method of operation, a user picks up a telephone whichsends a signal to the call manager 218. Subsequently, the call manager218 may establish a connection to the announcement server 220 and playone or more pre-recorded and/or predetermined announcement (hypertextand/or audio). Signaling tones such as dial tone, audible ringing tone,or a called party busy signal may be played by the broadband residentialgateway 300 or the call manager 218, but Special Information Tones (SIT)and/or messages may also be included as part of an announcement file. Inthis way, the user experience is enhanced such that the user receives abusy message and/or hypertext announcement providing one of severaloptions for contacting the called party. The announcement server 220 mayhave information entered by a user using, for example, a broadbandresidential gateway 140 to provide additional information to the calledparty. The additional information may include the ability to leave amessage, type-in a chat note, page the called party, barge-in on thecall, and/or other user or system defined call handling capabilities.

The announcement server 220 may also be programmed with various systemmessages such as an announcement indicating that a number dialed isincorrect or that the call did not go through as dialed, that the linesare busy, that all lines between two countries are currently busy, thatthe called party has changed numbers, that the called party's phone hasbeen disconnected, that one or more system errors have occurred, and/orother announcement messages.

The call manager (CM) 218 may be variously configured. In exemplaryembodiments, the call manager 218 provides a centralized call controlcenter for supporting call set-up, call change and tear-down in thebroadband network 1. The call manager 218 may be configured to includetrunk and line information maintenance, call state maintenance for theduration of a call, and/or user service features execution. The callmanager 218 may also provide for call processing functions such as astandardized call model for processing the various voice connectionssuch as voice over IP calls. In exemplary embodiments, a standardized“open” call model may be utilized which supports standardizedapplication programming interfaces (APIs) to provide transport servicesand other user functions such as calling cards. An open applicationprogramming interface and call set-up interface in the call manager willenable third party applications to be loaded into the call manager 218and broadband residential gateway 300. This will facilitate thedevelopment of third party applications for enhancing the functionalityof components in the broadband network 1. For example, third parties andother equipment vendors may manufacture various broadband residentialgateways 300 for use in the broadband network 1 by writing applicationsto support the open call model of the call manager 218. The call manager218 and/or broadband residential gateway 300 may also be configured toexecute and/or accept commands form a standardized scripting languagewhich may generate instructions for the call manager 218 and/orbroadband residential gateway 300 to execute various functions. Thescripting functionality may include the ability to execute an entirecall model including interfaces to the signaling system 7 (SS7) 170,public switched telephone network 160, IP network 120, ATM/frame/cellrelay network 185, and/or other functions within, for example, IPcentral station 200 such as the multimedia server 222, announcementserver 220, system management server 216, conference server 224, time ofday server 212, least cost server 255, and/or domain name server 214.

The call manager 218 may also be configured to maintain the call statesfor each call it handles (for example, a voice over IP call) and respondto system events created by, for example, the multimedia gateway controlprotocol (MGCP) messages and/or integrated services digital network userpart (ISUP) messages for signaling system 7 (SS7) protocol that mayoccur during the processing of a call. Exemplary events handled by thecall manager 218 include call state changes, call feature changes/callfeature triggering events, changes in the status of lines and trunks,and/or error conditions. Further, the call manager 218 may interact withdevices connected to a single circuit on the public switched telephonenetwork 160 and/or a device connected to a port of the broadbandresidential gateway 300. In this manner, new devices may be added to theinfrastructure and operate using the open call model contained in thecall manager 218.

The call manager 218 may also include storage for subscriber and networkconfiguration, a cache server for faster access to frequently used data,a routing engine for selecting an appropriate routing algorithm (forexample, least cost, best quality of service routing), and/or a servicebroker which provides the data and logic for specific services. Inaddition, the call manager 218 may include an authentication (AC) server245 that provides authentication of various devices, objects, packetsand users in the integrated multimedia system. Typically, a user carriesa subscriber identity module including preferred terminal configurationdata, their identity, personal profile and default qos and call set-upparameter data. In this manner, a user may verify the identity of thecalling or called party.

The call manager 218 may interact with the signaling gateway (SG) 234,the accounting gateway (AG) 240, the element management gateway (EMG)238, the voice gateway (VG) 232, and the multimedia gateway (MG) 230using any suitable protocol such as IP and an interconnection mechanismsuch as the central router 210. In one preferred embodiment, the callmanager 218 may be configured to utilize signaling messages such as: a)ISUP messages over Common Object Broker Architecture (COBRA) interfaceto and/or from signaling gateway 234, b) MGCP, SIP—simple internetprotocol, H.GCP, and/or other suitable control messages to and/or fromthe announcement server 220, c) call event records in modified Radiusformat to the accounting gateway 240, d) Radius (or Enhanced Radius orcompatible protocol) control messages to and/or from the voice gateway232 and/or the broadband residential gateways 140, 300, and e) signalingnetwork management protocol (SNMP) messages to and/or from the elementmanagement gateway 238.

The call manager 218 may incorporate one or more databases. For example,the call manager 218 may include database information such as (1) aresources database that provides an identification of what resources areconnected to the broadband network 1 and their current state; (2) atrunk/gateway database that indicates which gateway serves what circuitsin a trunk; (3) a customer database including a user's personal profilewhich indicates whether a call is authorized, identifies what services aline supports and determines whether a telephone number is on or off theintegrated IP communication network; (4) a numbering plan/least costrouting database which provides routing information that enables the IPcentral station 200 to choose the correct trunk as a function of thecalled number; and (5) a local number portability (LNP) database thatindicates the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) and associatedprefixes which are open for association with the number portabilityservice; and (6) an address of the service control point (SCP) towardswhich requests for translating these local portability numbers should berouted.

In exemplary embodiments, the broadband network 1 includes equipmentcompatible with the COBRA standard. COBRA may be utilized to allowapplications from a plurality of vendors to operate with each other. TheCOBRA standard allows a company, such as AT&T, to build its networkusing multi-vendor equipment and yet ensure seamless integration andoperation. Some of the major areas covered by COBRA v. 2.2 includes:Inter-ORB Bridge Support, General Inter-ORB Protocol (GIOP) support,Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP) support, and Environment SpecificInter-ORB Protocol (ESIOP) support. The call manager 218 may integratethese protocols to facilitate call set-up with diverse equipment. Thisis advantageous in that equipment from a plurality of vendors mayinteroperate over the broadband network 1 without modification.

The multimedia server (MS) 222 may be variously configured. For example,one or more multimedia servers may provide support for multimediamessaging service and/or the overall management of multimedia voice andmail messages transmitted across the broadband network 1. The multimediaserver 222 may be configured to support e-mail (for example, html)messages, voice mail (audio) messages, and/or video mail (audio andvideo) messages. The multimedia messages may include standardpre-configured system messages, advertising messages, and/or userdefined messages. In either event, where the messages are stored in acentralized location, the multimedia server may provide such storage.Where the multimedia server 222 provides storage for the multimediamessages, a database may be utilized for indexing, storage, andretrieval of such messages. In exemplary systems, the user may accesspredetermined ones of these messages. The multimedia server 222 mayutilize IP as a method of communicating with other devices across thebroadband network 1.

The conference server (CS) 224 may be configured to provide formultiparty conference calls using, for example, IP voice packets duringan IP telephony or multimedia session call (for the latter, theconference server coordinates with the multimedia server). Theconference server 224 may include specialized software that runs on acomputing platform having associated multiplexing and demultiplexingcapability for segregating and aggregating user information packets. Forexample, the conference server may log several calls into a conferencesession. When information packets are sent from one or more phones, theyare aggregated and sent to the other terminals on the conference call,depending on their capabilities for multimedia transmission and/orreception. The conference server 224 may use any suitable communicationprotocol such as H.GCP or SIP. The conference server 224 may function toaggregate user information from two or more users onto a single callpath. The conference server 224 may include one or more “call-innumbers” and be controlled from any location, for example, a centralizedoperator location and/or one or more broadband residential gateways 300or IP central stations. According to the present invention, a calledparty may be added to/deleted from a call and given/denied callprivileges in real time in response to user input via the broadbandresidential gateway and the call manager of the IP central station. Itmay be desirable to have the conference server 224 configured such thatsome called parties simply monitor the call without voice interruptionwhile other callers have both voice transmit and receive capabilities.Where a caller is not given the privileges associated with activeparticipation in the call, data packets from these users are discarded.For example, a CEO may have a multimedia conference call with aplurality of financial advisors and invite the press to listen on thecall and have multimedia access without interruption capabilities. Aswill be further discussed herein, the resources available for variouscalled parties (high fidelity audio transmission/reception, highdefinition video transmission/reception) may be provided at call set upby polling a BRG for terminal configuration information oridentification verification of a called party or during a call as it isdesired to add a called party to a call.

The gateways in the IP central station 200 may be configured to providetranslation of signals to and/or from the various servers in the IPcentral station 200, the IP network 120, the public switched telephonenetwork 160, the signaling system 7 (SS7) network 170, the Internet 180,and/or the secured management data (SMD) network 190. The gatewaystypically support one or more of the following group of functions: callprocessing; signaling system 7 (SS7) connectivity; billing support;OAM&P support; connection to public switched telephone network; controlCoS/QoS parameters; and enhanced services.

The voice gateway (VG) 232 may be connected to the public switchedtelephone network 160 and operate to convert between IP based voicepackets and standard public switched telephone network 160 voicetraffic. Voice gateway 232 may be configured as multi-frequency (MF) orISUP gateways on a per-T1 basis. Where multi-frequency (MF) trunks areused, one embodiment utilizes signaling between the call manager 218 andthe voice gateway 232 using MGCP, SIP, H.GCP and/or other compatibleprotocol. Multi-frequency trunks may be compatible with Feature Group D(FGD), Operator Service (OS) Signaling protocol and/or TerminationProtocol (TP).

The IP central station 200 may be variously connected to the publicswitched telephone network. For example, the IP central station 200 maybe connected directly to the public switched telephone network using,for example, a bearer channel (for example, a T1 or T3 carrier) and/orinterconnected using one or more networks such as an IP network and/orATM/frame/cell relay network 185. Where a T1 network is utilized, it maybe desirable to utilize one or more of ISUP or MF, FGD, and OS tointerconnect a service bureau in the public switched telephone network160. Alternatively, the service bureau in the public switched telephonenetwork 160 may be interconnected using an alternative networkarrangement such as an IP network 120 and/or a ATM/frame/cell relaynetwork 185. The service bureau may coordinate with the IP centralstation 200 in providing operator services, directory services andprovisioning for 311, 611, and 711 services. Emergency 911 services maybe routed to an E911 tandem switch that has the appropriate databasesand interfaces with a Public Safety Answering Position (PSAP). Emergency911 services may be coordinated by the call manager 218 and/or publicswitched telephone network based service bureau.

Voice gateway 232 may be router-based and include one or more voicefeature cards and/or DSP Module cards to perform voice processing. Thevoice gateway 232 may optionally include host processors, LAN/WAN ports,Ethernet ports, T1 or E1 telephony interface cards, Voice Feature Cardswith DSP Modules providing voice compression transcoding (G.711 andG.729), carrier-quality echo cancellation with 8 ms-32 ms tail length, ade-jitter buffer which adapts to delay variations in the network inorder to minimize the delay, packet loss concealment that generatesconcealment frames for lost packets using information from previouslyreceived data, and/or tone detection and generation. This functiondetects Multi-Frequency (MF) tones and generates MF and call processingtones (for example, dial tone, call-waiting tone etc.).

In exemplary embodiments, the voice gateway 232 may include T1/E1interfaces with internal Channel Service Units (CSUs). It may also bedesirable to configure the voice gateway 232 such that ISUP, MF andCentralized Attendant Services (CAS) trunks are supported with aconfiguration done on a per T1 basis. Additionally, multi-frequencytones and Centralized Attendant Services may utilize a “robbed bits”communication scheme where bits are “robbed” from sub-frames to transmitin-band signaling. The multi-frequency tones may be converted to and/orfrom, for example, simple gateway control protocol (SGCP) signalrequests and events by the voice gateway 232. For example,multi-frequency tones and/or lower level signaling and timing functionsmay be translated to and/or from any of the following indications:simple gateway control protocol Notify functions, simple gateway controlprotocol Notification Requests, Connection requests, Modify Connectionrequests, off-hook and/or on-hook indications.

An Ethernet interface with a RJ-45 connector may be used to connect thevoice gateway 232 to the central router 210 (for example, Gigabit Switchor High Speed Router (HSR)). The multimedia gateway control protocol maybe used as the interface between the voice gateway 232 and the callmanager 218. For example, call control, signaling, and multimedia datastream, real time protocol (RTP) connections. IP addresses, UDP ports,codec choice etc, may be configured in any suitable manner such as byusing a multimedia gateway control protocol. In exemplary embodiments,audio streams may be passed directly between customer premises equipment102 using real time protocol connections over, for example, a userdatagram protocol (UDP). Thus, the multimedia gateway control protocolmay be utilized to request the voice gateway 232 to initiate, cancel,and/or otherwise modify connections in order to set up and tear down RTPmedia streams. A similar procedure may also be utilized to requestcontinuity tests and results.

In exemplary embodiments, it may be desirable to adapt the IP network tocarry signaling system 7 (SS7) Transaction Capabilities Application Part(TCAP) messages over the IP network 120 and/or the ATM/frame/cell relaynetwork 185. The transport of signaling system 7 (SS7) transactioncapabilities application part (TCAP) messages over the packet networksallows signaling operations to be supported by multiple connections tothe same host, multiple host connections, and distributed processing ofcall set-up information using, for example, multiple call managers 218in the broadband network 1. Thus, the IP network 120 and/orATM/frame/cell relay network may be utilized to interconnect a pluralityof ESS switches to transport signaling information, voice, and/or data.In embodiments where the signaling gateway (SG) 234 is configured tosupport signaling system 7 (SS7) signaling transport using transactioncapabilities application part (TCAP) messages, it may be desirable toinclude a translator for converting between multimedia gateway controlprotocol (MGCP) messages and transaction capabilities application part(TCAP) messages and/or ISDN User Part (ISUP) messages.

The point where ISUP and TCAP messages are terminated at a signalingsystem 7 (SS7) signaling gateway is defined as a Service Switching Point(SSP) to the signaling system 7 (SS7) network 170. The call manager 218may be configured with a standardized Application Programming Interface(API) to allow interaction with the signaling system 7 (SS7) by, forexample, sending and/or receiving ISUP and TCAP messages from a serviceswitching point (SSP). Full class 5 signaling system 7 (SS7)functionality may be included in the call manager 218 including theability to provide all of the information necessary for billing asdefined in the GR-246-Bellcore standard. The signaling gateway 234 maybe arranged to perform: signaling system 7 (SS7) message handling(message discrimination, message distribution, and message routing);signaling link management (for example, link activation, deactivation);signaling route management (managing Point Code [PC] route status basedon route received management messages such as Transfer Prohibited,Transfer Allowed, Transfer Restricted, etc.); and signaling trafficmanagement (diversion of traffic based on unavailability, availability,restriction of signaling link, route, and Point Code.) The signalingsystem 7 (SS7) architecture supports the necessary redundancy componentscheme for system reliability and availability during scheduledmaintenance and/or software/hardware upgrades. The signaling gateway 234may be configured to directly provide for lower level signaling system 7(SS7) processing.

In exemplary embodiments, the signaling gateway 234 interacts with thecall manager 218 using an appropriate open interface (for example,Common Object Request Broker Architecture (COBRA)). In theseembodiments, it may be desirable for translation software in thesignaling gateway 234 to add Message Transfer Part (MTP) layerinformation to the ISUP and/or TCAP data to create a complete signalingsystem 7 (SS7) message. The complete signaling system 7 message may thenbe sent to the Signaling Transfer Point (STP) in the external signalingsystem 7 (SS7) network 170. Conversely, the signaling gateway 234 may beconfigured to remove ISUP or TCAP application layer data from thesignaling system 7 (SS7) messages received from the STP prior toconverting the information to an appropriate open interface (forexample, COBRA) and forwarding the information to the call manager 218via the central router 210.

The accounting gateway (AG) 240 may be configured to receive messagesrepresenting events from the call manager 218 via a suitable transportmechanism such as the central router 210. Typically, two messages arereceived for each call, the first when the call is established, andsecond when the call terminates. In accordance with the presentinvention, messages are also generated in real time in response to userinput when there is a change, for example, of required bit rate, qualityof service, preferred service provider for a segment of thecommunication or to add/delete parties to a call. In the case ofunsuccessful calls, a failure message will be logged. The messagesprovide details about the calling and called parties, the timing of thecall set-up, the duration, the data rate and the quality of servicedelivered for each segment of the call. Accounting gateway 240 may beduplicated using a redundant computer, with each gateway havingdual-mirrored disks. The accounting gateway 240 stores usage records andmay then distribute them to linked destinations (for example, billingcenters) for processing. Billing centers typically include billprocessors that receive accounting information from the accountinggateway 240 and generate appropriate on-line or paper billing tocustomers. The accounting gateway may be configured to accommodatemultiple days worth of accounting records such as the records for oneday, two days, three days, four days, a week, or a month. The period inwhich the data is retained in the accounting gateway may be dependent onbusiness needs, hardware restrictions, and/or the billing cycle. Forexample, as the end of the billing cycle nears, it may be desirable toshorten the period the accounting gateway holds the data such that callsplaced the day the bills are printed are included on the bills. Further,the accounting gateway may both retain and forward data to the billingcenters. In this manner, if the equipment at the billing center fails,the accounting gateway 240 may serve as a backup. Similarly, the billingcenter may act as a backup where the accounting gateway 240 fails.

An Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) format is typically used bycircuit-switching systems, packet-switching systems, and other networkelements to provide billing usage measurements data (for example, theBellcore® Automatic Message Accounting Format (BAF)). This data may beutilized either to permit charging the customer for use of networkresources or to permit charging other carriers (for example,InterExchange Carrier (IEC) and other Local Exchange Carrier (LEC)) forassistance in placing or changing characteristics of call connections.In accordance with the present invention, the normal AMA format andassociated processes may be modified to additionally report time stampedentries and data for actual changes in provided bit rate, quality ofservice, parties to a communication and/or preferred service providerfor billable and non-billable segments (assuming Internet telephony andusage billing remains free of charge on a per unit of time basis). Theaccounting gateway 240 may be configured to convert this informationinto an Automatic Message Accounting Format (AMA) Format (for example,BAF) records and send these records to the external billing systemsusing, for example, a TFTP (trivial file transfer protocol). Time-stampaccuracy is typically based on the accuracy of the call manager 218clock which may be derived from the TOD 212 server. To createappropriate AMA records, the event information produced by the callmanager 218 preferably has appropriate information for the telephoneservice specified such as phone number of the calling party (customer),phone number of the called party(s) (customer), time of day of call orany changes, duration of the phone call or call segments, if more thanone network route, bit rate or quality of service is provided for acommunication and use of any discretionary features such asconferencing. Different AMA structures may be generated between On-Netcalls (defined as within a network service provider IP network 120) vs.Off-Net calls (defined as outside of service provider IP network—forexample, public switched telephone network) for billing purposes.

The element management gateway (EMG) 238 may provide system managementfunctionality that includes, for example: a) status and performancemonitoring for the Operation Administration, Maintenance, andProvisioning center, to gauge the ongoing operation of applications; b)extensive information exchange with a network operations centerresponsible for ongoing maintenance of one or more applications; c)customizable operations interface to allow the network operations centerto view only information required, thus reducing the time spentfiltering information; d) centralize distributed applicationconfiguration allowing for the centralized configuration of objectsresiding on a plurality machines; e) proactive network managementcapabilities to remove the need for constant operator interventionmaking the day-to-day operations more efficient; and/or f) intelligentdisplay of status information to separate critical issues fromlow-priority problems allowing the operation center to assign resourcesto the right problems at the right time.

The multimedia gateway (MG) 230 may be configured to connect to thepublic switched telephone network 160 and to convert IP based multimediapackets into standard public switched telephone network 160 traffic. Themultimedia gateway 230 may include an intelligent trunking interfacethat communicates with the call manager 218 for automatic trunk sizingand allocation between the IP network 120 and the public switchedtelephone network 160. For example, when an system user at the customerpremises is using a PC and/or a multimedia phone to communicate with atraditional public switched telephone network 160 user, thecommunication session involves the transmission of video and audio data.The bandwidth that is required for this type of communication is muchgreater than that required for a PSTN-to-PSTN voice call or anIP-to-PSTN voice call. The multimedia gateway 230, as the interfacebetween two systems, may negotiate a larger bandwidth (proportional todata rate) to facilitate the call if the called party is also videoenabled. This bandwidth negotiation process typically occurs with a 5ESSor a Local Digital Switch within the public switched telephone network160. Typically, a multimedia call, including live video, audio and data,will require greater bandwidth than a voice call supporting a bit rateranging from 56K to greater than or equal to 1.544 Mbps. However, as thenumber of users sharing the same link grows, the quality of thetransmission deteriorates significantly. The multimedia gateway 230 isable to monitor bandwidth (data rate) usage and actual quality ofservice and make appropriate adjustments so as to maintain a userselected or default quality of service. Further, it may be desirable forthe call manager 218 and the multimedia gateway 230 to communicatebetween themselves and/or the customer premises equipment 102 todetermine whether the user has authorized the additional data rate or ahigher quality of service and hence expense of the call. For example,even where a called and/or calling party is video enabled, the user maynonetheless refuse to authorize payment for the increased bandwidthnecessary for video.

The Internet gateway (IG) 236 may be connected to the Internet (forexample, World Wide Web (www)) and provide a means for IP based datapackets to be routed between the IP network 120 and the Internet 180.Alternatively, IP based voice packets may be routed via the Internet180. In exemplary embodiments, the Internet gateway 236 routes data-onlypackets which share the same priority level with other lower priority,non-real-time traffic consistent with computer data communicationspresently experienced with the Internet 180. Consequently, low priorityand low latency data traffic on the IP network 120 utilize the Internetgateway 236 to communicate with other IP data networks such as the www.Voice packets may be routed through another network such as theATM/frame/cell relay network 185, a private IP network 120, and/or thepublic switched telephone network 160 where committed information ratesmay be easily obtained.

In exemplary embodiments, the broadband network 1 includes theinterfaces which enable connections to existing Operation, Maintenanceand Provisioning (OAM&P) 195 systems that support, billing, accounting,provisioning and/or configuration management functions. A SecuredManagement Data (SMD) Network 190 may be utilized to connect the OAM&P195 to the accounting gateway 240 and element management gateway 238.The Secure Management Data network 190 may include a Network ServiceDivision's NSD Net. The Secure Management Data network 190 helps ensurethat only secure communication can occur between the IP central station200 and the OAM&P 195. This eliminates one potential means of tamperingwith the billing and provisioning functions in the OAM&P. The billingsystems (OSS) 195 may include the Network Operations Center (NOC). TheNOC may include a translation server which includes functions forallowing communications and control of diverse networks.

B. Broadband Residential Gateway (BRG)

Referring to FIG. 3, a preferred embodiment for a broadband residentialgateway (BRG) 300 will now be described and explained. The broadbandresidential gateway 300 may be configured as the interface unit betweenthe remainder of the customer premise equipment 102 devices and theexternal network. The broadband residential gateway 300 may be connectedto the remainder of the broadband network 1 using any suitable mechanismsuch as a gateway directly into an IP network and/or a cable connection.In the most preferred embodiments, a hybrid fiber-coaxial plantconnection is utilized such as hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) plant 112. Thehybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112 allows numerous broadband residentialgateways 300 to be included on an existing hybrid fiber-coaxial plant112 without modification to the plants infrastructure.

The broadband residential gateway 300 may be variously configured to,for example, provide high-speed cable modem capabilities to interconnectone or more associated PCs with each other and with the remainder of thebroadband network 1, provide functionality to one or more TVs (using,for example, either an integrated or separate decoder functionality, forexample, set top box 350), one or more telephone connections such asplain old telephone service (POTS) phones and/or digital telephones,displays, wireless interfaces, voice processing, remote controlinterface, display interface, and/or administrative functions. Inexemplary embodiments, the broadband residential gateway 300 may a)providing conversion between analog voice and IP voice packets, b)multiplexing/demultiplexing streams of IP voice packets, c) supportingmultiplexing/demultiplexing of multiple incoming and outgoing signalsincluding multiple voice, multimedia, data, system administration,and/or TV information signals.

Where the elements of the broadband residential gateway 300 areinterconnected, the interconnection may be provided by one or more databuses, for example, a high speed bus (HSB) 360, processor bus 380,and/or other interconnection system. The high speed bus 360 380 may beconfigured to provide a flexible conduit for transferring informationbetween the internal hardware, processors and ports. In exemplaryembodiments of the broadband residential gateway 300, the high speed bus360 may include one or more of the following functional units a) auniversal remote control receiver module 365 for receiving wireless (forexample, infrared, and/or RF) signals (for example, keyboard signalsand/or remote control signals) for control of the broadband residentialgateway 300 and/or any connected devices, b) a display, display driver,touch screen logic module for driving one or more local and/or remotedisplays for interfacing with the broadband residential gateway 300and/or one or more connected devices, c) one or more TV port modules 336for interconnecting televisions, set-top devices, and/or otheraudiovisual devices to the broadband residential gateway 300, d) one ormore data port modules 334 for connecting/interconnecting data enableddevices (for example, personal computers, palm top devices, etc.), e)one or more telephony port modules 332 for interconnecting one or moreanalog and/or digital telephones, f) one or more peripheral port modules342 for interconnecting one or more peripheral devices such as diskdrives, data storage devices, video cassette recorders, DVD devices,audio devices, video devices (for example, camcorders, digital cameras,digital video recorders, stereos, etc.), g) one or moreexternal/internal intercom modules 344 for interconnecting remoteintercom and/or security monitoring devices, h) one or more wirelessinterface modules 345 for interconnecting with various wirelessextension devices such as wireless TVs, cordless and/or wirelesstelephones, wireless LANs, etc., i) one or more voice recognition/voicesynthesis modules 355 for generating voice announcements, voicemessages, and voice prompts and for recognizing voice generated commandsand data, j) set-top box module 350 for performing the functionstypically associated with a CATV set-top box locally and/or forcommunicating with one or more remotely coupled set-top boxes, k) memory322 (for example, DRAM, RAM, flash, and/or other memory) for storinginformation and operating data within the broadband residential gateway300, l) transceiver 302 for communicating with one or more externalbroadband networks m) operating program store 330 (for example, ROM,flash, etc.) for storing at least portions of the operating programs forthe broadband residential gateway 300 and/or interconnected devices, n)security processor, smart card and/or credit card interface module 340for providing secure processing functions and/or credit card/smart cardtransaction functions, and/or o) distributed processing controller 306which may be a microprocessor and/or one or more interconnecteddistributed processing modules for controlling the broadband residentialgateway 300. Where the distributed processing controller 306 includesone or more distributed processing modules, the modules may include atelephony processing module (P1) 308, data processing module (P23) 310,video processing module (P3) 312, auxiliary processing module (P4) 314,IP processing module (P5) 316, and/or an operations administrationmaintenance and provisioning processing module (P6) 318 interconnectedthrough one or more busses such as processor bus 380. The processor bus380 and/or high speed bus 360 may include any suitable interconnect busincluding intelligent bus configurations incorporating smart bufferlogic (not shown in FIG. 3) to facilitate data transfer betweeninterconnected processors and/or modules. The various modules and/orprocessing components of the broadband residential gateway 300 may bepowered by, for example, a power supply unit (not shown). Each of theindividual modules of the broadband residential gateway will now bedescribed in more detail.

The transceiver 302 may include circuits for converting digital signalsto and from RF signals suitable for transmission across a broadbandnetwork such as the hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112. The transceiver 302may include one or more input/output ports such as a cable interface(for example, an F connector cable connection) and/or a fiber opticinterface connected to a communication media (for example, hybridfiber-coaxial Plant 112). The transceiver 302 may be compatible with theDOCSIS 1.0 or later specifications. For signaling purposes, thebroadband residential gateway 300 may be compatible with the MediaGateway Control Protocol (MGCP) or other compatible signaling protocol(for example, SIP or H.GCP) to support telephony applications. Thetransceiver 302 may serve as a modem, a translator and/or amultiplexor/demultiplexor. Data received from the network may bede-multiplexed and placed on the data bus for dispatch to theappropriate peripherals and/or ports. Data from the various ports andperipherals may be multiplexed together for distribution over one ormore broadband networks (for example, the hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC)plant 112). Where a hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112 is utilized, the datamay be multiplexed onto various frequency bands of the hybridfiber-coaxial plant 112 in a continuous data stream(s) and/or packetizeddata stream(s). To facilitate data transfer for various networks, thetransceiver 302 may be include one or more registers for data queuingand/or IP tunneling of data packets across the broadband network.

Although the illustration of a display, display drivers, and touchscreen logic device 338 suggests that the a display is integral to thebroadband residential gateway 300, alternative embodiments of thebroadband residential gateway 300 may provide a user interface via theTV screen, PC screen, video telephone, and/or other display device inaddition to, or in lieu of, a display integral to the broadbandresidential gateway 300.

The peripheral ports module 342 may include a plurality of portsproviding connectivity to external peripherals. Exemplary interfacesinclude, PCI, Firewire, USB, DB25, etc. Devices which incorporate one ormore of these interfaces may utilize the broadband residential gateway300 to interconnect to the remainder of the broadband network 1. Theexemplary screen portions depicted herein for providing alternaterouting, bit rate, quality of service, or features may be displayed onany of these display types and user data entry may be collected viavarious data input means including touchscreen, keyboard, mouse or voiceinput.

The external/internal Intercom Module (IM) 344 may include one or moremicrophones/speakers, voice CODECs, telephony processors, and/orinterface ports. Where an intercom module 344 is utilized, the built-incircuitry may be configured to detect, for example, unused plain oldtelephone system telephone(s) and generates a special intercom tone onthese unused telephones. In this manner, existing plain old telephonesystem telephones, digital phones, and/or other devices may serve as anintercom throughout the residence. The controller 306 (for example, suchas the P1 telephony processor 308) may function to command the intercommodule 344 to determine an appropriate intercom path to select anintercom connection between various locations. In exemplary embodiments,the CODEC may be configured to convert the analog voice signal into IPpackets for transmission over one or more data ports 334, TV ports 336,display modules 338, telephony ports 332, peripheral ports 342,external/internal intercom ports 344, wireless interface ports 345,and/or set-top boxes 350.

In yet further embodiments, multiple broadband residential gateways 300may be configured through, for example, IP tunneling, to set-up anintercom connection between multiple remote broadband residentialgateways 300. In this manner, an administrative assistant at the officemay be contacted via an intercom connection present at the users home.Thus, one or more individuals disposed at either local and/or remotelocations with diverse types of equipment may communicate as an intercomgroup without the need to communicate via normal dialing procedures.

In addition to intercom services, the intercom module 344 may alsoconfigure intercom services for other telephony services (for example,extension transfer, call conferencing, internal caller ID), high speeddata services (for example, LAN connections), facsimiletransmission/reception, e-mail transmission/reception, videoconferencing, and/or CATV/HDTV (Cable Television/High DefinitionTelevision) using standard industry protocols such as DOCSIS 1.0 orhigher and IP tunneling transmissions. These services are advantageousin that once configured, the user may simulate a work environment in hishome.

Though processing may be accomplished by a single processor performingall functions (for example, processing controller 306), in the preferredembodiment shown in FIG. 3, the architecture employs a distributedprocessing controller 306, and a plurality of processors P1-P6 308-318.In the distributed processing architecture, each of the plurality ofprocessors P1-P6 may be configured to have a dedicated function toprovide predetermined services or applications. The processors may becoupled together via any suitable mechanism such as the processor bus380 and/or high speed bus (HSB) 360. The first processor P1 308 mayinclude telephony applications such as call set-up, call re-routing, qosor data rate changes, call tear down, and other call functions; thesecond processor P2 310 may include management functions such asdistribution and coordination of data within the various devices of thebroadband residential gateway 300; the third processor P3 312 mayinclude video processing functions for configuring control panels,screen displays of attached devices, video conference calls, MPEGdecoding functions and other video processing functions; the fourthprocessor P4 314 may include an auxiliary processor for off loadingspecial processing functions such as numeric processing; the fifthprocessor P5 316 may include interface input/output processing (forexample, text to voice and vise versa) and/or Internet protocol (IP)processing functions for configuring data to communicate with theremainder of the broadband network 1 and/or devices attached to thebroadband residential gateway 300 such as IP telephones or IP enablePCs; and the sixth processor P6 318 may include processing functions forOperation, Maintenance and Provisioning (OAM&P) processing. Each of theabove processors may be an entirely separate processing unit withincluded RAM, ROM, Flash memory, or may share RAM, ROM, and/or Flashmemory. Where shared RAM, ROM, and/or Flash memory is utilized, thememory may be located within the distributed processor controller 306and/or on the processor bus 380. Alternatively, the memory may beintegrated into the operating program store 330 and/or into memory 322.

The Distributed Processing Controller 306 with its associated processors(P1-P6) may be coupled to the various elements of the broadbandresidential gateway 300 so as to enable proper operation of each of theindividual components. For example, the distributed processingcontroller 306 (with any associated processors (P1-P6)) may also coupledto the security processor, smart card/credit card, and interface module340, the peripheral port(s) module 342, and/or the External/InternalIntercom Module 344 for providing control and coordination among devicescoupled to the high speed bus 360.

The display 338 may include, for example, an interactive LED/LCD modulepositioned in a suitable location such as within or attached to thebroadband residential gateway 300. The display 338 may include aninterface to notify, display and receive user inputs and processingstatus. The display 338 may be configured to display variousinformational status and data entry screens and screen portions in ahierarchical tree structure according to expected utilization duringcall set-up and processing. Status screens may be provided formultimedia mail, called party ID, call logs, call set-up, call inprogress and associated information, call waiting information, callconferencing, and/or other call related information. The display 338 mayprovide a display of real time status of the various devices connectedto the broadband residential gateway 300 as well as any currentconnections, calls, and/or data transfers. The display 338 may alsoinclude touch screen capabilities that allow information to be input viaa plurality of interrelated on-screen prompts, on-screen icons, and/or akeypad (for example, an alphanumeric keyboard). The keypad may be aremote control, numeric keyboard, and/or alphanumeric keyboard.

In one embodiment of the display 338 operation, a user may touch an iconrepresenting a pending voicemail and/or multimedia mail message. Thepanel may be configured to send an electronic signal to the processingcontroller 306 and/or an attached processor such as the telephonyprocessor. On receiving the signal, the P1 telephony processor 308 maybe configured to generate an IP packet via the transceiver 302 acrossportions of the broadband network 1 to the multimedia server 222 in IPcentral station 200. The multimedia server 222 may authenticate therequest by, for example, verifying the caller with call manager 218which at call-set-up verifies the location of the request and/or theidentity of the requesting party, for example, via a user's SIM card orother secure identification means. Where identity of the calling partyis being verified, the user may enter an access password by an audioand/or keyboard request in addition to presenting their SIM card. Wherean audio request is generated, the user may utilize theexternal/internal intercom module 344 of the broadband residentialgateway 300, or via a text message entered into the display 338. Theuser may then enter the appropriate access code via the onscreen softkeypad, microphone, and/or keyboard. Alternatively, the multimediamessage could be stored locally in the broadband residential gateway 300memory 322 and depending on whether there is a password lock on thebroadband residential gateway 300, the user may not have to enter apassword and swipe their SIM card to access the message. Where themessage is stored locally in the broadband residential gateways 300memory 322 rather than IP central station, the display 338 simplyrecalls the message from memory and presents to the user to provideone-touch instant message retrieval.

In embodiments where the broadband residential gateway 300 supportsmultiple mailboxes, the icons on the LCD/LED may be personalized to showthe identity of the owner of the message. Each user may have a differentpassword to ensure privacy of access. An activity log which tracks pastand present messages and/or archived multimedia messages may bepresented on display 338. The archive may be stored locally, or at aremote location such as IP central. The archive may be utilized by theuser to recall messages which have long since been erased from localstorage but may be retrieved from IP central on tape and/or diskstorage. This is preferably an optional feature for those users who areless security conscious. The multimedia messages need not be displayedonly on display 338. In alternate embodiments, any of the peripheraldevices attached to the broadband residential gateway 300 are capable ofreceiving the multimedia messages.

The memory 322 may be variously configured to include one or morefield-upgradeable card slots for permitting memory expansion. Certainusers may wish to enable higher end applications such as near video ondemand (for example, pausing of shows via buffering in memory), videoconferencing of multiple users, multi-party conferences, call waitingfor multiple parties, etc. Accordingly, the use of a broadbandresidential gateway 300 allows the user to upgrade memory via insertingadditional cards. Alternatively, the user may use system memory in IPcentral and buffer data remotely.

Operating program store 330 may be configured to receive updates. Thismay be accomplished by having the user replace one or more memory cardsor automatically by the IP central station downloading new operatingcode into one or more residential gateways 300.

As previously indicated, smart buffer logic (SBL) may be coupled to thetelephony port(s) 332, data port(s) 334, TV port(s) 336, peripheralport(s) 342, and/or the distributed processing controller (DPC) 306.Where the smart buffer logic is utilized, it may function to buffer IPpackets for delivery over the communication network such as the hybridfiber-coaxial plant 112. In addition, the smart buffer logic may includeselectable switching and routing algorithms based on services andapplications associated with each port. Depending on the destination ofthe IP traffic, the smart buffer logic may multiplex signal from variousdevices to effect faster information transfer. The smart buffer logicmay also allow direct memory access between memory 322 and one or moreof the devices and/or ports coupled to the high speed bus 360.

The telephony port(s) 332 may include various interface circuitry (forexample, analog interface, logic and firmware for interfacing with thePlain Old Telephone (POTs) telephones). Also the telephony port(s) 332may also be configured to include user interface logic, voice processinglogic, voice activity detector logic, voice CODECs, and DTMF (dual tonemulti-frequency) tone sensing logic. Echo cancellation and automaticgain control may also be utilized in the telephony port(s) 332circuitry. In one embodiment, RJ-111 connectors for a plurality of lines(for example, 4) are provided for connection to one or more existingplain old telephone system 110 telephone units. However, the broadbandresidential gateway 300 may contain any number of telephone connectionports. In this manner, any number of existing user terminals may beconnected directly to the broadband residential gateway 300 withoutmodification. Alternatively, the broadband residential gateway can beconfigured to support, in addition to or as alternative to the plain oldtelephone system telephone units, ISDN telephones and/or other digitalphones (for example, IP telephones) using an appropriate interface.

The data port(s) 334 interface may be variously configured. In oneconfiguration, the data ports include high speed data serviceconnections to, for example, a personal computer (PC) using a LANconnection. For example, the data ports 334 may include an Ethernet802.3 connection compatible with category 5 unshielded twisted pair(UTP) cable and a RJ-45 connector. The data port(s) 334 may include thenecessary interface circuitry for coupling to remote computers.

The TV port(s) 336 may include an interface for conventional television,HDTV and/or CATV services. The TV port(s) 336 typically have one or moreF-connectors used for coaxial cable connection to a TV set(s). The TVports may be configured to connect to a set top box (STB) via theF-connector or directly to a remote television. In embodiments where thesettop box is co-located with the television, the data supplied over theTV ports may be either analog and/or digital information. Where thesettop box is integrated into and/or comprises the broadband residentialgateway 300, the TV ports may be analog or compatible with HDTV signals.

The broadband residential gateway 300 need not necessarily be limited tohome use and is intended to also be utilized in business applications.In some configurations, the broadband residential gateway 300 may servethe same functions and operate as a private branch exchange (PBX). Wheregreater capacity is desired, one or more broadband residential gateways300 may be disposed on a PC card and combined in a PC, rackmount, and/orserver to create an expandable private branch exchange type system thatenables intra-premises calling between telephones connected to varioustelephone connectors on the broadband residential gateway 300.

C. Integrated Broadband IP Based Communication System

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the broadband network 1 shown inFIGS. 1-3, with like components identified with identical numbers. Atthe extremities of the integrated communications system is the customerpremises equipment unit (CPE) 102, for example, one or more customerpremise equipment 102 at each customer location. The customer premiseequipment 102 may be configured to include an integrated communicationinterface device such as the broadband residential gateway 300. Othercustomer premise equipment 102 devices such as one or more televisions(TV) 106, personal computers (PC) 108, and telephones 110, etc., may beconnected to the broadband residential gateway 300 via various ports asdiscussed above. The customer premise equipment 102 could includemultiple TVs 106, telephones 110, and PCs 108 connected to a singleand/or multiple broadband residential gateway 300. Further, in certainembodiments, it may be desirable to divide the broadband residentialgateway 300 into more than one physical package. In this manner, certaininterface circuitry may be located outside of the home while variousprocessing circuitry may be located near a peripheral device such as ina settop.

Where the broadband residential gateway 300 is coupled to the hybridfiber-coaxial plant 112 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, it may be configured to provide the user with bothinformation data (for example, through an Ethernet interface), telephonyaccess, and bidirectional TV service (for example, HDTV, Digital TVand/or CATV services). In exemplary embodiments, the hybridfiber-coaxial plant 112 typically includes both coaxial cable andoptical fiber networks, though, where desired, the network may includeonly coaxial cable or optical fiber. The hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112may be coupled to a head-end hub (HEH) 115. The head end hub 115 mayprovide an interconnection point to gather and/or transform externalservices (for example, off air and satellite video, public switchedtelephone network voice, and Internet data) into a format suitable fordistribution on the hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112 for use with thecustomer premise equipment 102. The head-end hub 115 may include one ormore cable modem termination systems (CMTS) 116 coupled between thehybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112, a Head-end (HE) 117 and/or an EdgeRouter (ER) 118. The edge router 118 may be coupled to the cable modemtermination system 116 and to one or more ultra high speed routers (UHR)121. One or more ultra high speed routers 121 may be interconnected toeach other and/or through a centralized mechanism such as an IP networkdatabase to form a high speed network. The high speed packet network 120n is one example of the network 120 (for example, IP network) shown inFIG. 1.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the high speed network 120 n includesthe ultra high-speed routers (UHR) 121 configured in a ringconfiguration. Although this embodiment shows the use of the IP networkdatabase (IND) 122, other configurations are also suitable. Where an IPnetwork database 122 is utilized, it may be desirable to incorporate oneor more data sets such as: a IP local number portability database (IPLNP) 122 a which may be utilized for transferring local DN among serviceproviders when a user changes their service provider; an IP caller/username database (IP CNAME) 122 b which may be utilized to provide adatabase of names relating to IP addresses and/or domain names; an IPline information database (IP LIDB) 122 c which may provide alternativebilling and allow flexibility in determining who pays for a call; and anIP 1-800 Database (IP 8YY) 122 d which may provide a database of 1-800numbers relating to the IP network 120 a. Alternatively, the IP localnumber portability database may be located at another location, such asat an IP central station (IP Central) 130. Where desired, a localservice management system (LSMS) 150 may be arranged to providemanagement of the IP local number portability database. Where a localservice management system 150 is utilized, a plurality of local serviceorder administration (LSOA) units 152 may be coupled to the localservice management system by, for example, a number portabilityadministration center (NPAC) 151. In this manner, directory numbers maybe transported among different service providers. In such a case, a NPAC151 is generally coupled to the LSMS 150 and uses the LSMS 150 tosynchronize the numbering databases and to coordinate the portingprocess.

As indicated above, the broadband network 1 may include a plurality ofinterconnected high performance networks 120 n. Each high performancenetwork 120 n may include a separate IP central station 200 and/or sharea single IP central station. Having distributed IP central stationslocated throughout the broadband network 1 provides improved performanceand quicker response time for an individual user. Although notillustrated, each high performance network 120, 120 n may be connectedto multiple head-end hubs 115, each head-end hub 115 may be connected tomultiple hybrid fiber-coaxial plants 112, and each hybrid fiber-coaxialplant 112 may be connected to a plurality of customer premises equipment102, each containing one or more broadband residential gateways 300. Theplurality of high performance networks 120 n may be configured as aninterconnected network for routing packetized information frompoint-to-point in accordance with a desired destination.

The high performance network 120 n may be configured to provideconnectivity for and between a plurality of head-end hubs 115 and/or aplurality of broadband residential gateways 300 and other networks suchas the Internet, for example, www 180, the public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN) 160 and/or various signaling systems such as the SS7network 170 for end-to-end voice over IP applications. The IP centralstation 200 may be configured to provide seamless integration andcontrol of the high performance network 120 (for example, an IP basedcommunication system) interface with the public switched telephonenetworks (PSTN) 160, signaling system seven (SS7) 170, and/or theInternet 180 so that packetized data, voice calls, and other signalinginformation is properly transferred between the broadband residentialgateway 300 and the public switched telephone network 160 and Internet180. In certain configurations, the hybrid fiber-coaxial 112, head-endhub 115, and high performance network 120, provide a signal conduit forpacketized voice and data which may, with the coordination of the IPcentral station 200, be provided in the appropriate format between thebroadband residential gateway 300, the public switched telephone network160, and/or the www 180.

D. General Operation of Integrated Communication System

The typical home user is currently required to purchase multipleintelligent data conduits such as multiple set-top boxes, a plurality ofconventional, DSL and/or ISDN phones, cable modems, HDTV receivers,satellite receivers, home PC LANs, etc. The integrated communicationsystem of the present invention provides a user friendly versatilecommunication system that enables voice/data (including video) over IPtelephony, information data (for example, PC and Internet), televisionand other high data rate services in a system with one intelligentcustomer premise equipment 102 interface, the broadband residentialgateway 300. The broadband residential gateway 300 in conjunction withthe IP central station 200 provides a flexible communication system thatcan provide any number of integrated communication service features andfunctions without requiring the user to become familiar with numerous,diverse types of equipment.

In one exemplary application of the voice over IP operations, thebroadband residential gateway 300 digitizes the analog telephony signalusing, for example, G.711 μlaw coding (64 Kbps Pulse Code Modulation).The digital samples may then be packetized in, for example, thebroadband residential gateway 300 into IP packets. The broadbandresidential gateway 300 may be configured to encapsulate the IP packetsinto, for example, DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service InterfaceSpecifications) frames for transmission back to the head-end hub (HEH)115 over the hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112. The hybrid fiber-coaxialplant 112 may then be configured to transport signals for both upstream(to head-end hub 202) and downstream (to the broadband residentialgateway 300 and customer premise equipment 102) directions. Although theDOCSIS protocol is utilized in this example, any future protocol mayalso be used for the digitizing and packeting of data. Where theprotocol changes, it may be desirable to download new operating codefrom, for example, IP central station 200 to the individual broadbandresidential gateways 300, to update the communication protocolsdynamically. When new protocols are adopted, the IP central station mayutilize, for example, the system management server 216 to download newprotocol data into, for example, the protocol manager in the callmanager 218 and the program store 330 in the broadband residentialgateway 300.

Where voice packets are sent over constant bit rate (CBR) channels usingunsolicited grants, additional packet data channels may be used tosupport signaling messages (for example, SGCP, Simple Gateway ControlProtocol), high-speed cable modem service and/or other upstream packetdata services. The upstream packet data services may be sent usingavailable bit rate (ABR) channels such that the voice channels notimpacted by data traffic. All services provided herein should beconsidered together as variable bit rate services because, during acommunication, a user may change their data rate requirements in realtime in response to user input. For example, during call set-up and evenduring a communication, a user may specify or respecify their particulardata rate requirements to accomplish a given communication segment.

1. TV Signal Reception

The head-end 117 may originate CATV signals for transmission over thedistribution network. However, in alternate embodiments, signals may beinserted at other points in the distribution network, such as at varioushubs or may arise at remote locations in the network such as IP central.Down stream channels may be utilized to facilitate the transmission ofsignals from the head-end or other input distribution point to thesubscriber premise. Where analog RF signals arrive at the broadbandresidential gateway 300 of the customer premise equipment 102,typically, the transceiver circuitry 302 will detect if the signal isaddressed to this broadband residential gateway 300. If so, thetransceiver will allow reception of the RF signal. Upon conversion to adigital format, the signal is typically output over the high speed bus(HSB) 360 to one or more associated devices for processing. For example,where the signal is a TV signal, the signal may be output directly tothe TV port 336 and/or processed by the settop box 350 prior tooutputting to the TV ports 336 and/or display 338. Where user channelselection is preformed directly in the broadband residential gateway300, channel selection may be preformed by remote control transceiver365 using an external device such as a remote control. The remotecontrol transceiver may receive a plurality of individually coded remotecontrol commands from different receivers and process the signals foronly one associated device in accordance with the received commands.Alternative channel inputs include the display 338 and/or any associatedkeypad. Authorization to certain channels may be controlled by securityprocessor 340.

Where a remote settop box is utilized, the box may be coupled directlyto the HFC for individual frequency tuning and/or receive a digital feedfrom the broadband residential gateway 300 after decoding the digitalsignal. For example, where hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112 contains fiberconnections to locations near the individual homes, it may be desirableto download one or more simultaneous individually requested programmingstream(s) and/or digital data stream(s) to the broadband residentialgateway 300. In this manner, the number of channels, movie selections,and/or entertainment options available to the user are unlimited. Costis minimized since only a single intelligent user interface is used inthe home and all televisions, phones, computers, and/or other userinterface devices use the same intelligent user interface to thebroadband network 1. In this manner, the broadband network 1 may offerpremium television, voice and/or data services to multiple conventionaltelevisions, phones, and PCs without the use of multiple set boxes,modems, and external connections. With a vision phone or a personalcomputer equipped with a microphone and camera connected to the BRG,video telephony and conferencing is possible. Thus, the users areprovided a single unified interface to satisfy their external dataneeds.

2. Exemplary Call Flow of an On-Network Call to an Off-Network Call,with the Off-Network Call Initiating the Dropping.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary call processing sequence for an on-netcall (for example, an IP based call) to an off-net call (for example, apublic switched telephone network based call), in which the off-netparty initiates the drop call sequence. Of course, the reverse oralternate routing back and forth among alternative networks may beaccomplished as well—IP to circuit-switched back to IP and so on. Theexemplary call processing sequence operates as follows:

-   -   1. Once the broadband residential gateway 300 detects an off        hook condition, the broadband residential gateway 300 may        generate an off hook signal 508 to the call manager (CM) 218.        The call manager 218 verifies the user's identity by looking for        password and SIM card data or other security means, retrieves        their user profile, for example, from the card memory (default        qos and other data as well as their identity and preferences)        and polls the BRG 300 for the terminal configuration identity        that the user is connected through. At the same time, the BRG        300 may advise the call manager 218 of any user entered default        or required communication parameters including data rate,        quality of service, preferred service provider and the like from        the card or a call set-up screen as will be further described        herein. The call manager may compare the communication        parameters with configuration data and provide an error message        to the user if the user may not be able to accomplish a        communication as requested. For example, the user may be advised        to move to another available terminal connected to the BRG 300.        The off hook signal acts as a dial tone request to the call        manager 218. Alternatively, the broadband residential gateway        300 may collect all Internet address data or dialed digits        (collectively, called party address data) before activating the        off hook condition. This alternative may be desirable to save        resources at the call manager 218 where multiple incoming lines        are available to handle any additional calls. Thus, even though        one phone is off-hook, the broadband residential gateway 300        determines that other lines are available and does not initiate        the off-hook signal until all called party address data have        been collected.    -   2. Where the call is managed by the call manager, the call        manager 218 will issue a dial tone message 509 to the requesting        broadband residential gateway 300 in order for the broadband        residential gateway 300 to generate a dial tone to the        associated phone. Where the broadband residential gateway 300        shares management of the call, the broadband residential gateway        300 generates the dial tone in response to the off-hook        condition.    -   3. Where the call is managed by the call manager 218, the call        manager 218 will then enter a state where it polls and collects        the dialed digits 510 from the broadband residential gateway        300. The called party address data including Internet address or        dialed digits may then be transferred to the call manager 218        one at a time as they are entered. Alternatively, where the call        set-up control process is shared between the broadband        residential gateway 300 and the call manager 218, the broadband        residential gateway 300 collects the called party address data        and transfers these, together with the off-hook signal to the        call manager 218. This transfer may be facilitated by combining        the called party address data with other data into a single or        multiple data packets as necessary.    -   4. On receiving the called party address data, the call manager        218 will determine if translation of called party address data        is required and, if so, perform the translation. For example,        the call manager may determine whether local number portability        has been enabled. Where local number portability has been        enabled, the call manager 218 may issue a local number        portability (LNP) query 511 to the IP local number portability        database 122. The IP local number portability database 122 may        then supply the call manager 218 with a routing number 512 if        the called party address data form a valid sequence. Where the        called party address data do not form a valid sequence, the call        manager 218 will return an error indication to the broadband        residential gateway 300. The error designation may include a        tone and/or a more detailed error message for display on, for        example, display 338.    -   5. Where the call sequence is valid, the call manager 218 may        issue a first call proceeding message 513 to the broadband        residential gateway 300 indicating that the number is valid and        the call is proceeding (for example, a valid on-hook condition).    -   6. Next, the call manager 218 typically determines whether        adequate network resources are available to carry the call by        comparing the communication requirements (default requirements        or specified requirements) to the network resources and        determining least cost routing via least cost route server 255        and alternative network paths in priority order. These are        displayed to the user as discussed further herein. The call        manager also involves the multimedia server and conference        server as necessary. The call manager 218 also polls a BRG        associated with the called party to determine if their resources        are adequate to complete the communication as requested by        retrieving the called party's terminal configuration data. Error        messages may be provide to the user if there exists a mismatch        between call set-up requirements and called party terminal        configuration. In embodiments where the broadband residential        gateway 300 is connected to a hybrid fiber-coaxial plant 112,        the call manager 218 may send an open gate allocation request        514 to the cable modem transmission system 116. In this event,        it is often desirable for the cable modem transmission system        116 to provide a gate allocation acknowledgement 515. A gate        allocation acknowledgement may be utilized to verify that the        necessary gate and any alternative gate resources have been        allocated.    -   7. The call manager 218 may send an open connection request 516        to the voice gateway (VG) 232 in order to provision the        connection. Once the connection is provisioned, the VG 232 may        provide an open connection acknowledgement 517 back to the call        manager 218.    -   8. For off network connections, it is often necessary to enter a        second phase of the connection process involving the appropriate        link signaling to establish a call. For example, the call        manager 218 may send an ISUP IAM (Initial Address) message 518        containing the directory number (DN) of the called party(s) to        the signaling gateway (SG) 234 and conference server 224 as        necessary. This process is often utilized to allocate the        appropriate voice trunk for communication. The call manager 218        may also send an alerting message 519 to the broadband        residential gateway to produce an alerting signal, for example,        an audible ringing tone to the user terminal. The signaling        gateway 234 may make the appropriate connections when the trunk        has been allocated and acknowledge the request with an ISUP A        call manager (Address Complete) message 520.    -   9. Once the called party has answered the call and connection is        established, the signaling gateway 234 may send an ISUP ANM        (Answered) message 521 to the call manager 218 indicating that        the called party has answered.    -   10. The call manager 218 may then send a time/date-stamped call        start message 522 to the accounting gateway (AG) 240, indicating        the start of the call. The AG 240 may use this information for        billing purposes.    -   11. At this point, the link has been established and a        conversation 523 can proceed over the communications path. Note        that although signaling system 7 (SS7) signaling is used herein        to illustrate the present invention and is a well known        signaling protocol utilized in the art of telephony        telecommunication, the instant invention is not limited to the        use of signaling system 7 (SS7) signaling for call establishment        of an off-network call; the use of signaling system 7 (SS7)        signaling is merely illustrative. As such, other methods of        signaling may be substituted for signaling system 7 (SS7).

As will be discussed further herein, a user may change call parametersin real time by entering new requirements (data rate, quality of serviceand the like) during a communication. For example, the user may requesta greater data rate to play a home video or sequence of digital imagesto the called party. Steps 1-11 then are repeated to assure theavailability of network and called party resources. Any such change mayinvolve a billing change and a date/time stamped call progress changemessage is sent to the accounting gateway 240 to document the change.Also, periodically during a call, the actual quality of service and datarate may be forwarded by the call manager 218 to the accounting gateway240.

-   -   12. When the called public switched telephone network user        terminates the link, an on hook signal may be sent to the        appropriate public switched telephone network switch, such as a        5ESS. The signaling network may then send a call termination        message (not shown) to the signaling gateway 234 as notification        of the call termination status.    -   13. The signaling gateway 234 may then generate a release 524        signal to the call manager 218.    -   14. Upon receipt of the release 524 signal, the call manager 218        may a) initiate the relinquishment of the provisioned network        resources by issuing a close connection 525 message to the voice        gateway (VG) 232 and a release complete 526 message to the        signaling gateway 234, b) inform the accounting gateway that the        call has been terminated, for billing purposes via, for example,        sending a time/date stamped call end 527 message to the        accounting gateway 240.    -   15. With reference to the close connection 525 message, the        voice gateway may respond by issuing a report message 528 to the        call manager 218 containing the current status of the call.    -   16. On receiving the call status report 528, the call manager        218 may issue a delete connection 529 message to the broadband        residential gateway 300.    -   17. The broadband residential gateway 300 may then release its        resources and sends a status report 530 to the call manager 218.        In addition to the report 530, the broadband residential gateway        300 may also send an on hook 531 status report to the call        manager 218.    -   18. The call manager 218 may then inform the broadband        residential gateway 300 to report the next off hook condition        via message 532.    -   19. Where a cable modem transmission system is utilized, the        call manager 218 may then issue a release gate 533 message to        the cable modem transmission system 116 so that all the modem        resources can be relinquished. Once the gate resources have been        released, the cable modem transmission system 118 sends a        release gate complete 534 message to the call manager 218. At        this point, all resources pertaining to the call have been        relinquished.    -   Communications may involve call set-up parameters or call change        parameters involving a user selected higher data rate and        quality of service as discussed above. It is also contemplated        by the present invention to change a preferred long distance        carrier in real time in response to user inputs. The call        manager 218 may initiate a change in preferred service provider        via the accounting gateway 240 which organizes ad controls a        negotiation between preferred service providers in real time.        The service providers, for example, may share their subscriber        billing data and collect the electronic signature of the user        who authorized the change. For example, AT&T may negotiate a        change to MCI during a call and a subscriber may receive bills        for the same call whereby a first call segment is billed by one        service provider and a second call segment is billed by the        other newer preferred service provider.

3. Exemplary Call Flow of an On-Network Call to Another On-Network User,Under One Call Manager Control

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary call flow of an on-network call toanother on-network user, with the call being handled by a single callmanager (CM) 218. In alternate embodiments, different portions of thecall set-up sequence may be handled by more than one call manager 218 inthe IP network 120. The exemplary “on-network” call processing sequenceoperates as follows:

-   -   1. Once the broadband residential gateway 300A detects an off        hook condition of, for example, a user terminal, the broadband        residential gateway 300A may generate an off hook signal 607 to        the call manager (CM) 218. The off hook signal may act as a dial        tone request to the call manager 218. As above, the call manager        verifies subscriber/user identity and collects call set-up and        terminal configuration data.    -   2. The call manager 218 may then issue a dial tone message 608        to the requesting near-side broadband residential gateway 300A        in order for the broadband residential gateway 300A to generate        a dial tone.    -   3. The call manager 218 may then enter a state where it polls        and collects the called party address data including Internet        address or dialed digits 609 from broadband residential gateway        300A. The dialed digits are transferred to the call manager 218        one at a time. In a similar fashion to the subject matter        discussed above, in embodiments where the call setup is shared        between the call manager 218 and the broadband residential        gateway 300A, the broadband residential gateway may manage the        call set-up and transfer both the off-hook signal and the dialed        digits to the call manager 218 within one or more data packets.    -   4. On receiving the completed dialed digits, the call manager        218 may perform necessary translation as described above, for        example, by issuing a local number portability query 610 to the        IP local number portability database 122. The IP local number        portability database 122 may then supply the call manager 218        with a routing number 611 if the dialed digits constitute a        valid sequence.    -   5. The call manager 218 may then ensure that adequate network        resources and calling party and called party's terminal        configuration are available and appropriate to accommodate the        call.    -   6. Where adequate resources are available, the call manager 218        may issue a first setup message 612 to whatever mechanism        couples the far side broadband residential gateway 300, for        example, the cable modem transmission system 116B, to allocate        transmission resources on the far side.    -   7. A call proceeding message and a report on hook condition        message 613 may then be sent to the broadband residential        gateway 300A.    -   8. A gate allocation message 614 may then be sent from the call        manager 218 to the cable modem transmission system 116A, where        the broadband residential gateway 300A is coupled via a cable        modem transmission system. In this environment, a gate        allocation 614 message may be utilized to set up the relevant        modem resources.    -   9. Where a cable modem transmission system is utilized and        receives the setup message 612 from call manager 218, the cable        modem transmission system 116B may then send a connection        request 615 message to the far side broadband residential        gateway 300B.    -   10. Where a cable modem transmission system 116B is utilized,        the cable modem transmission system may then sends a setup        acknowledgement 616 to call manager 218. Once the resources are        allocated by the cable modem transmission system 116A, the cable        modem transmission system may then send a gate allocation        acknowledgement message 617 back to the call manager 218.    -   11. Once the call manager 218 receives the setup acknowledgement        616 along with the gate allocation acknowledgement message 617,        the far-side broadband residential gateway 300B may then send a        ringing message 618 to the far-side cable modem transmission        system 116B where this connectivity is utilized.    -   12. In these embodiments, the far-side cable modem transmission        system 116B may then issue an alerting message 619 to the call        manager 218.    -   13. The call manager 218 may then convey the alert via an        alerting message 620 to the broadband residential gateway 300A,        to produce a indicating signal sich as a ringing signal        indicating that the call is going through.    -   14. The cable modem transmission system 116B may then issue a        connect message 622 to the call manager 218 in response to the        far-side broadband residential gateway 300B sending an off hook        message 621 to the far-side cable modem transmission system        116B. At this point, an end-to-end communication path is        established and conversation 623 can be facilitated. QoS and        data rate monitoring begins and are reported to a user via their        display as will be described further herein via call manager        218.    -   15. Assuming that the calling party hangs up first, the        broadband residential gateway 300A may initiate an on hook        sequence 624 message which may be communicated to the near-side        cable modem transmission system 116A.    -   16. The cable modem transmission system 116A may then issue a        disconnect message 625 to the call manager (CM) 218. The call        manager 218 may then issue a first delete connection request 626        to the near-side broadband residential gateway 300A and then a        second delete connection request 627 to the far-side broadband        residential gateway 300B.    -   17. The near-side broadband residential gateway 300A may respond        to the call manager 218 with a report message 628 containing the        connection status, as well as an on hook message 630 to verify        that the calling party at near-side broadband residential        gateway 300A has terminated the call.    -   18. The far-side broadband residential gateway 300B may respond        to the call manager 218 with a report message 629 containing the        connection status, as well as an on hook message 631 indicating        that the called party connection has now been terminated.    -   19. At this point, the call manager 218 may issue release gate        messages 634 and 635 to the near-side cable modem transmission        system 218 and far side cable modem transmission system 116B,        respectively, so as to release the modems associated with the        call. Once all the resources have releases, the cable modem        transmission system 116A and the cable modem transmission system        116B may issue gate release complete messages 636 and 637        respectively to the call manager 218.    -   20. For simplicity, the accounting processing is not shown.        However, the process used in FIG. 5 may be utilized as a billing        procedure for on-net calls. Such a process might constitute        sending a time/date-stamped call start message from the call        manager 218 to an accounting gateway (AG) 240 after the connect        message 622 is sent from the far-side cable modem transmission        system 116B to call manager 218. The call start message,        containing initial data rate, preferred service provider and        quality of service data, would trigger the start of the billing        procedure. Call change messages, as described above, may be        initiated by the calling party. Assuming no changes as discussed        above, a corresponding date/time stamped call end message        providing ending data rate and quality of service data may then        be sent from the call manager 218 to the AG 240 after the        near-side cable modem transmission system 116A sends a        disconnect message 625 to the call manager 218. This call end        message may trigger the ending of the billing procedure for that        call.        Although the IP voice packets for these calls are typically        routed over the IP network 120, the system may, where        appropriate, route IP voice packets over the Internet 180.        II. Billing IP Broadband Subscribers

Now a method of billing IP broadband subscribers and of locating a leastcost route for a communication will be described in some detail withreference to FIGS. 7-11. FIG. 7 is a collection of screen portions whichmay comprise screens displayed on displays to users of the presentinvention such as call set up screens, call progress screens andalternative call routing screens. U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,150 issued Mar.26, 2002 under the title “Billing method for customers having IPtelephony service with multiple levels of security” by V. J. Bhagavathdiscloses a method of billing for multiple levels of security and itsprinciples may be combined with the principles of the present inventionfor providing billing for multiple levels of quality of service and bitrates.

FIG. 7( a) is a representative screen portion whereby a user may selectand/or the screen portion may display a quality of service. In thedepicted embodiment, a user is provide with actual and desired qualityof service via a horizontal bar 701 including labels, low, average andhigh. The user may user their mouse to move the desired quality ofservice from the indicated average quality of service to a point closerto high or to low. Meanwhile, the actual quality of service deliveredvia the call manager 218 may lag such changes. Nevertheless, the user isable to set up a default quality of service in BRG memory, and also, forexample, for storage on their SIM card, which would immediately appearon a call set-up screen as a starting point, or change their quality ofservice in real time during a communication. Default security levels,keys and encryption algorithms may also be contained in SIM card memory.The change in quality of service may be reflected in a higher or lowercost for a communication given other parameters remaining the same wherea higher quality of service may be reflected in a higher cost per unittime as will be reflected in the bar screen portion 914 of FIG. 9( b).Vice versa, if the user voluntarily selects a higher cost via portion914, the data rate being the same, the call manager 218 will interpretthe request as a request for a higher quality of service and will adjustthe bar 701 accordingly. The user/subscriber is billed for a pluralityof communication segments dependent on actual quality of service, notdesired, and typically will be able to receive a selected defaultquality of service with respect to any call the user makes according totheir personal user profile selection. The default data may be stored onthe SIM module that the subscriber carries with them from terminalconfiguration to terminal configuration. Parties who have joined a callin progress may be billed for their communication segments or thesegment may be billed to the original calling or called party dependingon call set-up or change parameters.

FIG. 7( b) is a representative screen portion whereby a user may selectand/or the screen portion may display a data rate. A low data rate mayrepresent an empty residence or closed business or government site. Alow data rate is still necessary for such purposes as alarm reporting,energy management and the like services that may be provided at alltimes. The highest data rate is assumed to represent a data rate higherthan that necessary to deliver a compressed high definition televisionsignal. In multi-party conferencing of a video conference, a screen ispreferably divided so that each participant may see all others in thecall; yet no greater data rate than that required for a single HDTVsignal would be required. As in FIG. 7( a), the user may receive adisplay of actual data rate delivered and desired data rate selected fora given segment. Typically, the default data rate will be one assumedfor a voice call unless the user specifies higher or lower. Highfidelity audio permits a user to receive high quality, compresseddigital sound. Video refers to relatively average quality, compresseddigital video, for example, for video conferencing or watching a movieat normal resolution.

FIG. 7( c) is a representative screen portion whereby a user may selectand/or the screen portion may display a preferred service provider for asegment of a communication. As discussed above, and in accordance withthe prior art in the United States, a subscriber may have only onepreferred long distance provider. Although the user may subscribe tomultiple Internet service providers, typically a user has only onesubscription. A called party may also have a preferred service providerand choose to pay for their segment(s) of the call. The presentinvention anticipates the opportunity to change service providers inreal time in response to user inputs. Initially, a user enters theirservice provider identities. The user classifies the service provider aswireless, long distance, Internet or the like via bar 722. One processfor identifying a service provider to a type involves providing a numberof service providers in a vertical bar. As the user types A, afterselecting long distance at bar 722, then AT&T may appear in analphabetical list of long distance carriers. Or after typing A andselecting Internet, the user might automatically see AOL appear on thedisplay. The user may specify a segment of a call in segment verticalbar 725. For example, the user may specify that the called party is tobe reached first via bar 722 of wireless phone at a far end segment 725.Typically, the first near end segment will be via the internet from acalling party. The calling party and called parties may negotiate overwho pays for intermediate segments but the default choice will be thecalling party.

“Int” represent intermediate segments of the call which may be one ofInternet, ATM, POTS or other network known in the art. Bar 726 mayrepresent an indication of the service providers being utilized in thiscommunication, for example, AT&T to AOL to Bell Atlantic to Sprint andtheir type: long distance, ISP, local POTS, wireless.

FIG. 8 is one embodiment of a screen or a screen portion for displayingactual and alternative routes for a given communication to a firstcalled party; for a second or more called party(s), for example, in aconference call, there may be associated screens and/or screen portionsfor the other called parties. There are depicted three segments of acall—Near End, Intermediate Carrier and Far End. The user may select forNear End or Far End among ISP, Pots or Wireless (among others notshown). Similarly, Far End service providers may be selected. ForIntermediate carriers, several opportunities may be provided from a nearend to a far end, for example, between Internet and Pots (or othersincluding ATM not shown).

At the bottom of FIG. 8 is a screen portion for displaying This Call andAlternatives Available for this call during a communication. If a userselects a particular alternative by clicking on one of a list in theAlternatives Available list, then routing via that alternative isimmediately arranged by the call manager prior to dropping the “ThisCall” routing. A new routing may impact quality of service and cost asdescribed above and require the negotiation of a new preferred longdistance service provider as necessary.

FIG. 9 is a collection of screen portions which may comprise screens forcall progress data display and data entry. FIG. 9( a) is arepresentative screen portion for entry and display of desired andactual quality of service. There is a clickable up/down portion wherebyclicking on 901 b improves desired quality of service and clicking on901 a decreases quality of service. The actual and desired quality ofservice are displayed in display 902. The user may click and drag thedesired arrow 902 a.

FIG. 9( b) is a representative screen portion for entry and display ofdesired and actual cost including communication set-up cost 912,accumulated cost 913 and present cost per unit time 914. As before theuser may click and drag arrow 914 a which may impact QoS bar 902. Thecost of the accumulated cost of the call represents the initial set-upcost for the segement(s) and the cost per unit time for deliveredquality of service and data rate via the selected carriers.

FIG. 9( c) is a representative screen portion for entry and display ofrequired and actual data rate (bit rate). Arrow 921 increases requiredbit rate and the desired arrow 923 a moves accordingly, Arrow 922 lowersrequired bit rate. The user may click and drag arrow 923 a as well.

FIG. 10 is an example of one embodiment of a screen portion of one callset-up screen whereby a call manager may report to a broadband gatewayat a user location on the characteristics of a called partyconfiguration including their location, terminal resources and networkresources. As described above, the call manager preferably comparesterminal configuration data for a calling party user and for a calledparty user with a desired call set-up parameter set entered by the userto determine if the communication can occur as desired and provides anerror message if there exists a mismatch.

FIG. 11 is an example of an application of an optimized communicationrouting algorithm for use in providing real-time routing and re-routingduring a communication in accordance with changing data rate or qualityof service requirements for different called parties. FIG. 11 b is atable for acronyms used in the other figures and the followingdiscussion of an optimized routing algorithm. In particular, FIG. 11 bdefines Dialing Number (DN); Telephone Number (TN); Network Provider(NP); Originating Network Provider Identifier (ONP(ID)); Next NetworkProvider Identifier, one of the intermediate networks, (NNP(ID)); andDestination Network Provider Identifier (DNP(ID)).

Delivery of voice/data over IP packets from one location to a distantlocation worldwide requires transport service to carry the voice/datapackets over different networks owned by different service providers.Segments of the call may be circuit-based and involve a differentcarrier and tariffs. Since using other service providers' networks attimes results in a per use charge which increases the originatingservice provider's cost, there is a need for the originating serviceprovider (for example, AT&T) to route a voice/data packet over a pathwhich may provide the greatest profit for the originating serviceprovider. Optimizing for greatest profit typically also provides a leastcost route. In general, the most profitable route is the signal paththat uses as much of the originating service provider's owned or leasednetworks as possible.

In accordance with the present invention, the originating serviceprovider may also provide a high quality of telephone service based oncustomer requirements regardless of profit. One may also optimize basedon data bit rate. The present optimized routing algorithm takes intoconsideration profit, cost, quality of service and bit rate and selectsroutes accordingly to display a least cost route and alternative routesat increasing cost.

Optimized Routing Algorithm (ORAs) software generates optimized signalrouting of voice/data packets which are required to travel longdistances around the world reaching a national or even an internationaldestination. The ORA provides a solution for today's voice/data over IP(VoIP) applications that require transport of VoIP/Data packets throughmultiple networks which are often owned by different service providersand have different service quality levels. If a given service providercannot be avoided, that service provider's low quality of service mayset the maximum standard of quality of service such that any otherservice provider should not further degrade the quality. Every effort ismade by the algorithm to meet the quality of service level provided bythat service provider if quality of service, and not cost, become theuser's driving parameter to the algorithm. The ORA can be programmed tooptimize a number of cost or quality factors such as reducingnon-originating service provider access/toll charges, reducing delaytime in voice/data packet processing, or providing low signal to noiseratio for improved signal clarity.

As one example, the ORA allows VoIP/Data packets transmitted throughoptimized networks to reduce settlement charges with plural serviceproviders which thereby increases the originating service provider'srevenue, or to provide a particular quality of service level. The leastcost routing server controlled by the call manager negotiates withdistributed ORA's. The ORA associated with a network server for eachnetwork service provider can define homogeneous network(s) routing,(IP-IP), or heterogeneous networks (for example, IP-ATM-Frame Relay-IP;IP-PSTN-IP; IP-ATM-FR-PSTN-IP) routing as required. The optimizedrouting algorithm can be implemented in the Broadband Gateway 300,Router 200, least cost server 255, Internet gateway 236 and/or VoIP/Datacontroller 306. The ORA can transport VoIP/Data packets through multiplenetworks within one company (network provider) or many companies(multiple network providers) while achieving minimum settlement chargesand maximizing the originating service providers (for example, AT&T)profit on the communication.

Alternatively, the ORA could be programmed to provide the most resource(for example, time, data rate, cost, etc.) efficient route so that thevoice/data packet reaches its final destination the fastest and/or at anacceptable signal-to-noise ratio level. In the case of voice packets,the quickest route will provide a higher quality of service for voicecalls on data services.

In operation, per FIGS. 11 a and 11 c as an example and AT&T as the nearend service provider, the Broadband Gateway (BG) 300 may signal theInternet Gateway 236 via the least cost server 255 to use the ORA inputto look at all possible information flow paths, for example, to transmita voice/data packet from New Jersey to Japan and determine what is thebest route to use so that the charges from non-AT&T service providers isminimized. A Voice over IP Directory Number VoIPDN originates a call viaOriginating Network Provider (ONP). The IG 236 then instructs the callmanager CM 218 to route the voice/data packets according to the low costroute and indicates to the CM 218 whether the voice/data packets willtravel on different types of networks (e.g., IP network, ATM Network,etc.). The IG 236 and ORA may also have secondary priorities (e.g.,timelines) and tertiary priorities (signal-to-noise ratio, quality ofservice, delay, etc.) or other requirements that are factored intodetermining the optimum route for voice/data packets.

The ORA in the ONP communicates with a network server for the Next orNNP's ORA and decides to use NNP(ID2) as preferred over NNP(ID1) orNNP(IDn) as the next transporting network. The packets are then routedto NNP(ID2) which can be a gateway router or a digital switch. The,NNP(ID2) must communicate with the next network's ORA which likewise hasa choice of NNP(ID1) or NNP(IDn) and so on in sequence. The NetworkProvider selected by the ORA keeps checking in sequence with the nextnetwork's ORA until finally a Destination Network Provider is readerhaving identifier (DNP(ID)). Depending on the protocols linking theselected network providers, the packets will be delivered at the DNPaccording to its data format and policy and modified, only as necessary,according to any changes required by the intermediate Network Providers,recognizing that changes may involve degradation in Quality of Service.

In an AT&T example depicted to the right of FIG. 11 c, AT&T may be theoriginating provider and the number dialed 973.236.6797 where the ONP isAT&T cable and AT&T is capable of utilizing AT&T facilities through anATM core network back to a cable company delivery of a communicationwithin area code 973.

The above example assumes that the Internet (accessed via cable modem)is the near end initial or originating network service provider. Themultimedia gateway 230, the voice gateway 232 are alternative gatewayshaving ORA's as required for a given communication. If acircuit-switched network is desired to provide the highest quality ofservice for a voice call (for example, if the Internet Quality ofService is inadequate) then the ORA for the voice gateway 232 negotiateswith other network gateways in sequence to provide the user's requiredquality of service and determine via least cost server 255, thealternate routes for that quality of service.

1. A method of providing to a subscriber a least cost for a variable bitrate communication between a first terminal and a distant terminal tosaid subscriber, the method comprising i) determining least costalternative network resources available for achieving said communicationat a default quality of service and a required bit rate; ii) determiningcost data associated with said network resources; and iii) outputting tosaid subscriber a least cost for said communication according to saiddefault quality of service and said least cost alternative networkresources.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising coupling saidfirst terminal and said distant terminal via said least cost determinednetwork resources and said default quality of service at said requiredbit rate.
 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising billing for saidcommunication at said default quality of service and according to saidrequired bit rate after the termination of the communication.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising displaying a least cost routethrough a plurality of different networks, alternative network pathshaving a different quality of service, alternative selectable requiredbit rates and alternative costs; receiving a subscriber request for oneof a different quality of service, a different required bit rate and adifferent alternative network path; and repeating steps i) through iii)in accordance with said subscriber request.
 5. The method of claim 4wherein said subscriber request comprises a request for a differentrequired bit rate during said communication.
 6. The method of claim 4wherein said subscriber request comprises a request for a differentquality of service.
 7. The method of claim 4 wherein said subscriberrequest comprises a request for a different network path.
 8. The methodof claim 1 wherein said first terminal comprises means for capturing avisual image and said communication comprises an audio communicationsimultaneous with a visual communication.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein said first terminal further comprises a display and a subscriberinput and said method further comprises the steps of displaying a leastcost route through a plurality of networks alternative network pathshaving a different quality of service, alternative selectable requiredbit rates and alternative costs; receiving a subscriber request for oneof a different quality of service, different required bit rate and adifferent network path; and repeating steps i) through iii) inaccordance with the subscriber request.
 10. The method of claim 9wherein said subscriber request comprises a request for a differentrequired bit rate during said communication.
 11. The method of claim 9wherein said subscriber request comprises a request for a differentquality of service during said communication.
 12. The method of claim 9wherein said subscriber request comprises a request for a differentnetwork path.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein said different networkpath comprises a selection of a heterogeneous network of two or moredifferent ones of internet protocol networks, the public switchedtelephone network, asynchronous transfer mode networks and frame relaynetworks.
 14. Apparatus for billing a communication among acircuit-switched network and a packet switched network comprising: afirst network server for one of said circuit-switched network or saidpacket switched network for forwarding data receiving from a broadbandresidential gateway to a central call station; receiving alternativeroute data consistent with a default quality of service data anduser-required bit rate from a second network server for the other ofsaid circuit-switched network or said packet-switched network; routingsaid communication according to said alternate route; receiving one ofdifferent quality of service and required bit rate data input by a userduring said communication; rerouting said communication in real time inresponse to said user input during said communication and communicationwith an accounting gateway for billing said communication.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14 wherein said first network server comprises aleast cost server having a processor for operating an optimized routingalgorithm, said least cost server coupled to a router and an internetgateway.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said first network servercomprises an internet gateway having a processor for operating anoptimized routing algorithm and said second network server comprises agateway to a circuit switched network.